Jack Sparrow and the Thorns of Death
by Smenzer
Summary: Can Jack save Alan from the Thorns of Death, stop Angelica's evil plots, deal with two demons who insist they need to go to the Fountain, get the Pearl out of the bottle and yet more unexpected problems? Oh and Spears is now his supervisor! The sequel to "Kiss of Death". James/Elizabeth, Grell/Sebastian. Set after "On Stranger Tides".
1. Chapter 1

Jack Sparrow and the Thorns of Death

Note: This is the sequel to "Kiss of Death" so please read that first or you may be confused. And just as a reminder, this story is set during the Age of Piracy, so it is the late 1740s and 1750. Ciel is the King's Watchdog (King George II, as seen in "On Stranger Tides"). And Grell never killed Madame Red so she is alive.

The story includes some flashbacks so keep an eye out for them. I already have the first 6 chapters of this story written, too.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The Pirates characters belong to Disney and the Black Butler ones belong to someone (unsure who).

000

William T. Spears waited in the office somewhat nervously as he drummed his fingers on the metal staff of his death scythe, wondering if he had made a mistake giving Sutcliffe the potions. The thing is, he had been caught off guard with the unexpected news that Selina was back home after all of these years and so when he had asked for them, well, he had handed them over without thinking. The truth was he had been worried about the little girl that had gone missing, even if he didn't show it much and he had been overjoyed at the news of her return.

But now he was somewhat worried.

Exactly how much of Sutcliffe had the girl inherited? It was no secret he was the biggest trouble-maker in the office, always slacking off or breaking rules or creating havoc somehow. It gave him constant headaches and now he feared there might be two trouble-makers to deal with.

He didn't know if he could stand that.

But luckily she had been raised far away in the Caribbean, apparently as a Governor's daughter. She would be a proper young lady surely? He had no idea what it was like out there, as he only knew London but how different could it be?

William frowned as he recalled the girl was part demon as well. He didn't exactly like that, but she had apparently chosen to be a reaper and not a demon so he would try to overlook her genetics. He just hoped she wasn't the wild card like her mother was.

Out of all of the Shinigami or death gods as they were called, William knew he was the most serious and grim. He took his job seriously and tried his best to be a proper supervisor to the others. His black hair was always neatly combed with not a single hair out of place; his glasses were perfectly clean, his dark suit spotless and his necktie perfectly knotted. It was a dour business to collect souls and a grim reaper had to be properly grim in his opinion. Laughter and smiles was simply not wanted.

Excitement was running wild through the office, the other reapers gathered in a group as they talked about the return of the long-lost girl. No one was getting any work done but he didn't have the heart to yell at them. He couldn't wait to see her again, either.

And she apparently wasn't coming alone, either, but was bringing some of her friends with her. He just couldn't pass up the offer of more Shinigami, especially with Alan sick with that disease. There were days when he was just too ill to work and everyone had to do overtime. Four extra workers would help even out the load. He just wished he knew something about them. Grell had been as dramatic as ever, crying and getting wet stains all over his neat paperwork as he had begged for the potions and he had just handed them over without thinking. Had Grell informed the humans that the potions would bring them to death's door before changing them – most likely not – all Shinigami were dead more or less.

He heard the loud tapping of heals then and he unconsciously tightened his grip on his hedge trimmer. He knew any moment they would appear and then he would have to try to control the chaos.

And Grell, Grell expected his daughter to be a dispatch officer. They never had a female dispatch officer before. The girls usually took more gentle jobs, like secretaries and the like but the redhead would be persistent. Most women just couldn't handle the issues that came with taking someone's life and he asked himself if the girl would be any different. It could be bloody work sometimes and they saw horribly mangled corpses and then had to jamb their death scythes into the person's chest to collect the soul. Would she be able to handle that kind of work, after living a pampered life as a governor's daughter in a fine manor? And would her mother be able to understand if she couldn't? If not, he would be the one left to handle the resulting mess…

The door opened then and the flamboyant Shinigami pranced into the office on a wave of perfume, blowing kisses to his co-workers in his usual fashion. He had long red hair that trailed to the back of his knees and a red coat hung off of his arms. The rest of his clothing was the usual grim reaper attire of white dress shirt, a dark grey waistcoat and black pants. A red-and-white striped cloth was tied about his neck in a bow and his high heeled boots – women's boots no less – were red-and-black. Long fake eyelashes clung to his eyelids and he was wearing other makeup as well, like mascara. Although Grell was technically a male, he believed he was a female and referred to himself as a lady. "Here we are, my darlings! This is where your dear mother works!"

Ronald Knox, Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries stood in a line near the door waiting to meet Grell's daughter again, their faces eager. Ronald had blond hair mostly but the hair near his ears was the deepest black. He was the youngest of the Shinigami but that was about to change with the fresh faces joining the team. Ronald loved women and going to parties.

Eric and Alan were best friends and had their desks next to each other. Eric also was a blonde and had hair on one side of his head in little braids; cornrows while the rest was rather thick and bushy. He had a slight edge but got along with his co-workers well. Alan had soft brown hair and was easy-going and quiet. He often grew sick with the rare disease he had caught, the Thorns of Death. At those times he collapsed in pain and struggled to breathe. He was immortal but he was clearly dying.

And then the newcomers appeared behind Grell.

Elizabeth, formerly known as Selina, appeared first and William knew she was Grell's daughter. When she had been a little girl her hair had been brown but he saw it was now more of a reddish-blonde in her Shinigami form. She was almost as tall as her mother and her yellow-green eyes surveyed the office with confidence. She was wearing an outfit similar to what most Shinigami already wear: a white shirt with a dark colored waistcoat and a pair of man's pants with boots. He had never seen a woman wear pants before and the sight shocked him, his eyes widening for a moment. Then he noticed the sword belt, complete with scabbard and a sword hilt. This is certainly not what he had expected…

Elizabeth gently gripped the arm of the man next to her, one wearing a full Royal Navy uniform. By the looks of the outfit, he was clearly of high rank and he too possessed an air of confidence. Then he noticed two more naval officers behind the first.

Of course, they were all wearing glasses as all Shinigami wore glasses as they were extremely nearsighted. They also all had green eyes with rings of color in them. Sometimes the outer ring could look a tad yellowish and other times it was more a lime green, depending on the mood of the person. Grell, who was the hothead, often had the slight yellowish tone in his eyes when he was upset or angry. The odd eyes allowed them to see souls and cinematic records.

"William, dear, come and meet my daughter!" Grell cried happily as he motioned with a hand for the other to come closer. "Now is not the time to be a stick in the mud!"

William grimaced a bit at the remark but let it slide. He stepped up to the new employees to introduce himself. "I'm William T. Spears, your new supervisor. Over the coming month you'll learn how to be a proper grim reaper. The work isn't that hard but there are things you must learn. I see you've already got your glasses so you'll need to pick out a death scythe next. Now why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Actually," Elizabeth interrupted in a firm voice. "We already have our death scythes."

There was the sound of a sword being pulled from the scabbard and the next moment she was holding a cutlass in her hand. The long curved blade gleamed under the office lighting, the sharp edge shining white to show its sharpness.

William stared it for a moment and adjusted his glasses with the tip of his hedge trimmer. "I hardly thing a sword is appropriate. All death scythes are to be gardening equipment…"

"A cutlass certainly can cut trees and plants." Elizabeth protested hotly as her green eyes flashed. "Clearly you've never been out to the Caribbean."

"I cannot say that I have…" William admitted as it suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea what to call her. Was she using Sutcliffe's last name or that demon's last name, Michaelis, or the name of the human that had kidnapped her? He normally knew these things in advance but the suddenness of her appearance left him at a loss with no time to prepare.

Elizabeth then pulled a round brown ball out of her pocket, showing it to him. It took him a moment to realize the thing was a coconut. He grew slightly confused then, a slight frown creasing his face, as he wasn't sure where exactly she had kept the giant nut. Her clothes were rather form-fitting and he hadn't noticed any large bulges where the nut might have been kept.

She smiled at him then, as if humoring him.

He decided he didn't like the smile and he feared that she had indeed inherited some of her mother's bad habits. He watched silently as Elizabeth set the coconut down onto someone's desk.

Ronald's desk to be precise.

Elizabeth then tossed her sword high up into the air, the sharp blade twirling around and around. Ronald, Eric and Alan gawked open-mouthed at it in amazement. The sword started to come back down and Elizabeth caught the hilt easily in her hand. The blade slashed out then at the coconut, cleanly chopping it in half as white milk went flying in all directions. Amazingly enough, none of it landed on Elizabeth herself. "Do you doubt it can do gardening?"

William sighed and pulled a white hanky out of his pocket to wipe the sticky white milk off of his face. "Fine. It's a gardening tool. I presume you know how to use a sword?"

"Of course I do." She replied.

William was sure that even out in the Caribbean women were not taught how to swordfight. And a novice certainly couldn't do the trick she had just performed. He would have to keep an eye on her he decided. He then turned his attention to the man next to her, the one in the fancy blue and gold uniform. "And you are?"

"Admiral James Norrington." The man replied in a cultured voice.

"Mr. Norrington," William began to say but was cut off.

"Admiral." James corrected him. "A retired officer is still addressed by the rank which he has honorably earned, to show respect. Or are you trying to be disrespectful, Mr. Spears?"

William's frown increased at the new words that were uttered. This was not going the way it normally went with new Shinigami. New ones were usually shy and mousey and felt unsure. They worried about fitting in and doing a good job and so forth. But these people had confidence and the man had perfect posture and that confident air that made people follow him. And now he would be forced to call him "admiral" each time he addressed him, which only pointed out his low rank of "supervisor". He adjusted his glasses again with his hedge trimmer. "I am afraid I have no experience with military tradition. I assure you no disrespect was intended."

"Very well." James nodded his head slightly to show he understood. "These are my officers, Lieutenant Commander Theodore Groves and Lieutenant Andrew Gillette. Elizabeth is my fiancée."

"And do you have any titles I should know about?" William asked Elizabeth, already sensing there was more to her than just a governor's daughter.

"Well…" Elizabeth paused uncertainly.

"Spit it out." William demanded.

"Fine!" She exclaimed as she held her chin high. "I'm the Captain of the Empress, Pirate Lord of the South China Sea and the King of the Pirates!"

Ronald, Eric and Alan gawked at her in surprise, their mouths hanging open and their eyes looking slightly glazed.

"My baby is the King of the Pirates?" Grell asked as he too looked shocked.

William closed his eyes for a moment and hung his head. Pirates, the office now had an official Shinigami pirate of all things!

Could matters get any worse?

Then he realized she most likely would be a dispatch officer. The office would never be the same.

000

"A letter has arrived from the King." Sebastian informed Ciel as he offered said letter to him on a silver plate, holding the plate over Ciel's office desk so the younger demon could easily take it.

"It must be a new problem for us to solve…" Ciel said as he took the letter, turning it over in his hand to study the seal of wax on the back. It was secure and unbroken, the wax bearing the King's personal mark etched into the wax. "I wonder what it is this time? I didn't notice anything in particular in the newspapers, no odd murders or anything of the sort. Maybe it's farther away, like where we first found Pluto?"

"It could be, my lord." Sebastian held the silver tray against his side as he patiently waited to see what might be required of him.

Ciel tore the letter open, the wax seal breaking. His single blue eye shifted up and back as he read what was written on the piece of parchment. "It's a summons to the King's Palace. Apparently the new job is too sensitive for us to be informed by letter…"

"My, that does sound important."

"Sebastian, prepare the carriage. We shall leave at once." Ciel said as he stood, picking up his walking stick. "And get my top hat. I need to look my best for the King."

000

Elizabeth followed her mother as she was led around the Shinigami Realm on a tour. So far they had been shown the offices, the cafeteria, classrooms where they would take classes, had been assigned apartments for their personal use and now the tour was taking them outside. Apparently there was more than one building and they would have to learn their way around. For some reason or other, the other Shinigami had decided to tag along, especially Mr. Spears with his watchful eyes and she had the distinct feeling he disliked pirates. A lot of other people had disliked pirates as well and they hadn't fared well. Besides, it wasn't like she was a real pirate, even if they had voted her King, as she had never actually gone pirating (unless one counted that bit where Will had tried to steal the map from Sao Feng).

"It's really good to see you again." Alan said with a smile as he walked nearby. The skin around his lips was a little pale, as if he didn't feel good. "We've all searched for you years ago, when you disappeared…I'm glad you're all right."

"It's good to see you again, too. I would dream about this place, you know…" Elizabeth fiddled with her glasses, still not used to them. Truthfully, she found them rather annoying and wished she could toss them away somewhere. Her ears felt raw where the handles were rubbing or maybe that was just her imagination. She was sure with time she would grow used to them and they were nowhere near as awful as the corset had been. "I hadn't known if it were real or not… The man that raised me didn't believe in the supernatural, not until he saw the cursed pirates anyway."

"Are you really the King of the Pirates?" Eric asked with a somewhat crooked smile.

"I am. Jack voted me to be their king. He's a good man, Jack." Elizabeth thought of the famous pirate and pondered where he was now. Had he gotten himself into another awful mess by now or was he enjoying a bottle of rum on some beach? She realized that she'd probably never know now or ever see Jack again, as she was now stuck in London being a reaper. She realized then she would miss the sea, but she still had the Empress and maybe they would get days off where she could still go out sailing. The Atlantic and the English Channel was not the Caribbean she knew so well, but it would have to do. She had her family and James and surely that's all that mattered?

"He's a pirate." James scoffed at her words. "Don't tell me you still trust him, after everything you've been through."

"Of course I trust Jack." Elizabeth replied automatically. "He saved my life. And he can do the right thing when he wants to. He's not totally selfish you know."

"He does things only when he profits from it." James corrected.

Elizabeth looked at her fiancée and she could see he still harbored dreams of hanging Jack, even if he knew he could never actually do it. James just couldn't erase a lifetime of hanging pirates and then switch to being friends with them. She saw he tried for her sake, but he still had the old thoughts and habits inside and he had been chasing Sparrow ever since he had met the man that fateful day. It also irked him terribly that the pirate often outsmarted him and made him look the fool. She really wished they could be friends someday, but she supposed that was unlikely. "I suppose it's moot anyway. We'll probably never see Jack again. I'm sure he's off chasing after some legendary treasure and lying on some nameless beach with a bottle of rum."

"And shipless no doubt." James added with a crooked smile, as if the idea pleased him. "He is quite the penniless pauper…"

They turned a corner then and Elizabeth was startled to see a long pier sticking out into what looked to be some unnamed sea. Well, she was sure it had a name but she was clueless as to what it was, but it was the last thing she had expected to see here in the Shinigami Realm. The path they were on ran along the water and continued on to some huge building with a big dome, which no doubt was their real destination. But it was the sea that drew her ringed green eyes, a sight she thought she would never see again. Yet here it was.

The salty sea breeze blew her hair off of her shoulders and tugged on the sleeves of her white shirt. She stopped before the pier and stared out to sea. The waves sloshed against the shore in the endless sound that was so familiar to her ears, the waves rolling in tipped with white foam. The water was darker than the bright blue-green she was used to in the Caribbean, but that mattered little at this point. And for some reason she seemed drawn here, to this spot. She could tell the water was deep, the dark depths mysterious and probably freezing. A few bits of flotsam floated on the crashing surf, a dried leaf and a few twigs from some unknown shore carried here over endless distances.

She was about to step onto the pier with one boot when she felt an arm wrap itself around her waist and draw her back. Glancing down, she saw the dark blue and gold of James' fancy Admiral's coat. She was about to ask why he had stopped her, but then her eyes saw the condition the pier was in. The wood was old and rotted, black with deep marks marring its wet uneven surface. It was a miracle it was holding together still.

"What ship docks here?" James asked the other Shinigami.

Elizabeth watched the others exchange confused glances. Eric and Alan looked at each other, then to Ronald who looked at Grell and then to William. It was clear to her within an instant that none of them knew.

"I've never seen any ship here since I became a Shinigami over a hundred years ago…" Grell replied as he raised a hand and tossed his long hair behind his back, the sea breeze blowing it about and into his eyes. "I doubt if any ship uses this pier…"

"It's a floating pier." James replied firmly. "And that means it's for a ship to dock at and the water here is deep so the hull can come right next to the shore. It's in atrocious condition, the wood rotten and falling apart. When I was in charge of Port Royale, I would never allow a pier to deteriorate so badly."

"As far as I know, no ships use this pier so I doubt if it's important…" William said somewhat doubtfully as he stared at the rotten wood that fell and rose with each wave. "Truthfully, I never paid it much attention."

"Who would come here anyway?" Ronald asked, clearly confused. "Other areas have their own dispatch offices and buildings…"

Something was itching at her mind, a thought. Elizabeth turned to regard her new boss, William. "Where does the Dutchman moor?"

"Moor?" William asked. "I don't even know what that means…."

"The Flying Dutchman; she's a real ship and ferry's the souls of those that die out at sea. I've seen her and have been aboard her. She moors somewhere; where she anchors … where does she take the souls that she collects?" Elizabeth eyed the pier, trying to imagine the Dutchman tied up to it. From what she could tell, it may be long enough.

"I'm afraid I never heard of the Dutchman…" William stated.

"Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman…" James said with a somewhat crooked smile. "It's an old sea story, except it's very true. My last post was aboard the Dutchman, trying to force Jones to follow orders. He was a loose cannon, destroying ships with his triple guns and his kraken. And he was truly a monster, part human and part octopus; his crew deformed fish-men."

"It was his punishment for not doing his job." Elizabeth explained as she recalled what the sea goddess had told her. "He was supposed to be ferrying the souls of the dead but he hadn't done that for hundreds of years, so he turned into a monster. But the Dutchman has a new captain now. She'll be collecting the countless thousands of souls stranded in the Locker and bringing them in…"

Ronald gulped and his eyes grew wide behind his black framed glasses. "Thousands? That would be a nightmare of overtime!"

"Yes, thousands…" Elizabeth confirmed, remembering all of the souls she had seen in the rowboats and in the water.

"But surely she takes them somewhere in the Caribbean…" Ronald said hopefully as he brightened at the thought. "Why cross all of that water to come here?"

"Because this is where ships are built, in England, and a ship returns to her home port." James replied in his cultured voice. "The Caribbean is wild still, although I tried to put a stop to the countless pirates, rumrunners and assorted lowlifes. Even magic and voodoo is real out there. And ships sink during the crossing as well, so there will be souls to collect between here and there."

Elizabeth noticed a bit of wood lying on the ground then, almost obscured by some green weeds that grew near the water's edge. There was a bit of rusty chain attached to it, the chain itself long broken. It reminded her of the signs that hung outside of businesses, signs that had the places name carved on them. If the pier had belonged to the Dutchman, it could very well have had its name staked out on a sign long ago. Elizabeth poked at the piece of wood with her boot, easily flipping it over to expose the letters etched deep into the wood: The Flying Dutchman. A smile broke out across her lips and she picked up the board, showing it to the other Shinigami. "I don't believe in coincidences anymore. The Dutchman will be coming in…"

William frowned, his grip on his hedge trimmer tightening. "How is it that you've been here just a few hours and you've discovered things that I haven't in over a hundred years?"

"I know the new captain of the Dutchman. And the ship needs a living heart…" Elizabeth really didn't want to think about that day. She may love James, but she still had feelings for Will too and it had been terrible knowing that his heart had been cut out while he had still been alive. She didn't want to imagine the pain that might have caused him or that he had gone through it to save her life. The curse had got him on the end, the kisses catching up to him.

Elizabeth pulled the Dead Man's Chest out of the aether where she had it hidden, holding it in her hands. She stuck the key in the lock, twisting it and the lid popped open to reveal the still beating heart that rested inside the chest. The heart thudded steadily, the valves pumping invisible blood through its chambers. "This is the heart of the Dutchman. It was cut out of her captain while he was still alive. Do you really think I can't sense where she docks?"

Alan paled at the sight and clung to Eric, who put a comforting arm around his shoulders to help support him, Ronald stared at it somewhat horrified, Grell studied it with curiosity as blood had never bothered him one bit and William just gazed at it with a somewhat blank expression.

"You are full of surprises." William finally said after a moment of looking at the heart. "I suppose we must build a new dock. Who knows how to do that? Admiral Norrington?"

"My lieutenants and I can do so easily, but we'll need the proper equipment and supplies." James replied as he stared at the rotten pier in utter disgust.

"I'll see that you have it, after we finish the tour and visit the Library." William promised.

Elizabeth locked the chest again and put it away. She thought she wouldn't see Will for ten years, but now that she was a Shinigami she might see him more often. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. The supervisor started to lead them towards the domed building, which apparently was the Library, and she started to follow; James at her side. Gillette and Groves trailed behind, the two already making a list of what they would need to build a new pier.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Jack Sparrow 2

Elizabeth stared in amazement at the huge Grim Reaper Library where the millions upon millions of Cinematic Records were kept in book form. The library had several floors and the shelves extended up to the ceiling on each. She supposed they must be organized in some manner but as of yet she was clueless as to how that was done. She idly pondered if they would need another extra floor just for the countless souls the Dutchman would be bringing in, souls that had piled up for hundreds of years.

The Dutchman… She had mixed feelings about seeing Will again. She had loved him at one time but that had faded when he had lost his trust in her and had run off on his own quest to rescue his father, forgetting her. But it was obvious that Will still loved her, otherwise he wouldn't have given her his heart in the chest.

If she saw him, she would have to inform him that she was engaged to James again. She didn't exactly look forward to it.

The tour ended and Elizabeth's attention was drawn by an odd man with long silver hair. His bangs hid his eyes and he was wearing a long black robe whose sleeves were way too long for his arms. And when he did push the sleeves up to grasp a book off the shelf, she saw he had long curling black fingernails, fingernails that reminded her of the deceased Sao Feng.

"He he he he." The man said as he moved to William's side, waving the book about. "I see you finally have some new recruits, huh William? This should prove interesting."

"What are you babbling about, Undertaker?" William demanded to know as he turned to face the retired grim reaper. "I have recruits to train and apparently a ship to investigate. Does the Dutchman really dock here?"

"Of course she does, William!" Undertaker replied with a laugh. "She's been lost out at sea for hundreds of years but she'll be coming in soon with her new captain! I remember seeing her all of those years ago. How glorious she looked, a glorious ship of death!"

"Why didn't you ever mention this before?" William asked with a frown on his face. "As supervisor I need to know these things and now I look incompetent in front of the new recruits, especially that one."

Elizabeth's eyes followed William's gaze to where James was talking in hushed tones to Andrew and Theo. From what she could hear, they were discussing how best to build the new pier.

"He rose through the ranks quickly from what I understand." Undertaker laughed gleefully and poked William in the chest with a sharp fingernail, the nail denting in the fabric of his suit. "If you're not careful, he'll have your job soon!"

"I'm already aware of that." The grim faced reaper replied sourly, his fingers tightening their grip on his death scythe. "Luckily, I have years of experience and a spotless track record. Is that what were you laughing about or was it something else?"

A wide grin spread across Undertaker's face, the scar on his cheek and right under his eye stretching. "He's not the one you should be worried about William, if I were you, but I'm not you so…"

Undertaker shrugged and cackled some more, infuriating the other reaper.

"Why can't you just speak plainly? Why must it always be riddles with you?" William huffed, clearly annoyed and then used his hedge trimmer to adjust his glasses.

He turned then and Elizabeth felt his gaze fall on her.

"So it's her then." William stated coolly. "It wouldn't surprise me, not with her ancestry of trouble-makers…"

Undertaker threw a long sleeved arm about William's shoulder and leaned close to the other man's ear, his breath hot. "I'd be careful what you say about her, William, she has the ear of higher-ups. You should know these things. I see it as clear as day, even without my special glasses."

"You're insane!" William shoved the older man off of himself and started to smooth out his suit and readjust his tie. "She hasn't met any of the other higher-ups or council members. I'm her direct superior, so I have no idea what you're blabbing about. As usual, you make no sense whatsoever."

"There are some who have real power." Undertaker simply stated and then he turned back to the library shelf. "Just remember that, William. You haven't seen real power yet but she has. Things are in motion now; I can feel it in my bones."

William stared at Undertaker for a few long moments and then strode away. To Elizabeth's dismay, he was heading in her direction. Maybe he expected her to know what the elderly man had been babbling on about but she was as clueless as he was. She had met a lot of people with power, people ranging from Cutler Beckett to Davy Jones.

And there was always Calypso, the Sea Goddess.

"Sutcliffe!" William called as he came closer.

Elizabeth watched as her mother pulled away from talking to his coworkers and came over to join them. "What do you want, Will dear?"

"I want you to research this ship, the Flying Dutchman." William informed him. "We must have records of it somewhere. See what you can find."

"But Will," Grell protested unhappily as his face fell. "That will take forever! I have no idea even where to look for records on that ship!"

"Your daughter can help you." William replied as he shifted his gaze from one to the other. "And it will help her get familiar with the records and how they're organized."

Grell grew happy at that and he threw his arms about Elizabeth, almost squeezing the air out of her. She gasped, realizing the thin redhead was a lot stronger than he looked. "We can finally spend some time together, dear! Isn't that wonderful? I'll have you all to myself!"

William sighed. "Just make sure you do the actual research, Grell."

"Of course, Will dear!" Grell promised with a toothy shark grin, his chin resting on Elizabeth's shoulder as he stood behind her.

"And what can you tell me of the new captain of the Flying Dutchman?" William asked. "He's apparently another new member of my staff so it would be appropriate to know a few things about him…"

Elizabeth realized William was talking to her. She managed to loosen Grell's grip slightly so she could breathe a bit easier. "His name is William Turner, Will for short. I met him on the crossing from England, the lone survivor of a merchant ship that had been destroyed by pirates. He became the blacksmith in Port Royal and when I was kidnapped by pirates, he saved me. He taught me how to swordfight and I was going to marry him, but fate intervened. To make a long story short, the curse got him and Jones stabbed him in the chest. To save his life, Jack helped Will stab the heart of Davy Jones and so Will became the new Captain of the Flying Dutchman."

"The curse?" William asked as he took notes on a pad of paper he pulled out of his pocket, pleased with the information on his new employee.

"Yes, when I kiss people they tend to die in some horrid accident…" Elizabeth admitted.

"It's not a curse, dear; it's your Shinigami powers!" Grell breathed in her ear. "Now that you have a proper death scythe, the powers should work through it."

"Or else demon powers…" William said with a frown. "Do not forget that demons are our enemies."

"Sebas-chan isn't!" Grell hotly exclaimed as his green eyes flashed angrily at the words.

"Yes, well, there are many other demons out there." William pointed out smoothly, ignoring the anger in the redhead's voice. "Your demon is on a permanent leash and the other one that he serves is apparently content continuing his trend of solving crimes for the crown. But other demons are not so nice at all. They'd happily steal the souls we are meant to reap. We must be vigilant and always on time."

000

Earl Ciel Phantomhive arrived at St James Palace and was quickly let in, the Royal Guards expecting him. A red coated Royal Guard showed him and Sebastian to the room where the meeting with the King would take place. It was an elaborate room that suited His Majesty well, with tall stately windows lined with the finest red drapes, a shiny marble floor and expensive paintings on the walls. The room had an extremely tall ceiling and a balcony lined one inward facing wall. A long table with a fine food was set up, as it was near noon and it was apparent that soon the King was going to eat lunch. A wide variety of foods was set out, everything from roasted meats to bowls of fruit and plates of bakery. The King's favorite was jelly in the shape of pheasants and that was on the table as well.

A double set of doors behind the table opened then and smartly dressed Royal Guards marched into the room, their muskets on their shoulders. Their jackets were a brilliant blood red and lined with black and gold braids, the higher ranking officers only having gold braid. They wore white knee pants, white stockings and black shoes with golden buckles. Black tricornes with golden trim at the top and a red flower-like emblem on the right side sat on their heads. They stared straight ahead and dutifully marched to their positions in the room.

King George came in then, his men at his sides. The King was a very portly man, with double chins and a wide belly that threatened to break his fine clothing, as he was very overweight from all of the fine foods he ate every day. He was dressed in a fine yellow outfit, the bright color reminiscent of spring tulips and daffodils, but the color did nothing to hide his wide girth. Still, the fabric was embroidered with fanciful designs in gold and silver threads. The finest white lace was about his neck and at the long cuffs of his sleeves. A white wig with curls was perched on his head and he slowly made his way to the chair that waited for him in the exact center of the table.

Other men accompanied the King, including Prime Minister Henry Pelham and Lord John Carteret. Both were thinner than the King, especially Lord John, and wore fine clothing to match their high stations. The Prime Minister moved to the King's right side and Lord John to his left. Finally the King seated himself, his rolls of fat jiggling.

The King focused his small beady black eyes on the young Earl that stood before him and a pleased expression appeared on his plump face. "I see you have come, Earl Phantomhive. That is good, as we have things to discuss."

Ciel bowed politely to the King and then seated himself on the regal chair that was reserved for the guest of honor, removing his top hat to show respect. The chair itself was a work of art, gold in color and boasting fanciful carvings on it. Sebastian took up his station right behind Ciel's chair, as he usually did in these situations. "Of course, Your Majesty. The Phantomhives have always served the crown loyally. What is it I may do for you today?"

"I understand a certain individual is staying at your home…" King George stated as he raised a plump finger into the air. "I have no idea why she is your guest, but she is of some importance. You will bring her here, before me."

Ciel was shocked by the King's words, but he hid it well. He had no idea how the King could have learned of Sebastian and Grell's daughter so quickly, as she was the only one that the King could possibly mean. Nor could he allow anything to happen to her, as she was family, but he was to follow the Crown as well. "I have several guests in my home at the moment. Whom do you mean?"

"Miss Elizabeth Swann, of course." King George replied as he leaned forward, his beady black eyes almost hidden by the fat on his face. "She is the King of the Pirates, is she not? You are required to do as I bid or need I remind you?"

The young Earl's lips tightened into a straight line and his single exposed blue eye took on a hard glint. "No, I don't need a reminder. I'll bring her, of course. Is tomorrow soon enough?"

"Tomorrow will be fine." The King said as he settled back in his chair and picked up a golden fork. "But make sure she doesn't escape. Pirates are tricky, clever folk."

"They're disgusting!" Lord John complained in a loud voice. "They should all go to the gallows!"

"Nether less, I want to see her. I am the King, not you Lord John."

The young demon tried to gather why the King wanted Elizabeth, but couldn't sense anything of importance from the man. He did hear the man's giant stomach rumble in its hunger and that only reminded him how he could never eat food ever again. Well, he could but it wouldn't fill the empty pit that was his hunger; only a soul could do that now. He stood and bowed to the King, bidding his farewells. He left the room then, Sebastian hot on his heels. Once outside, he turned to talk to his ever loyal butler. "This is not what I expected. I couldn't read him. Did you sense anything, Sebastian?"

"He wants something, but I could not tell what." Sebastian replied as he opened the door to Ciel's carriage and helped the young boy up. "This will not go over well with Grell, especially since she could be hung for piracy. Being a Shinigami now will afford her some protection, of course, but you know how emotional he can be."

"Yes, I'm aware of that fact." Ciel replied somewhat dryly. How could he not be aware that the redhead was emotional?

000

Elizabeth spent the remainder of the work day looking through dusty old boxes of records for anything on the Flying Dutchman. It was as boring as could be and she almost wished she had the drat needlework to do that her father had insisted she learn, but that was equally bad. She just didn't have the patience for such dull things and apparently neither did her mother.

The redhead dropped a heavy box of old papers onto the nearest table, a huge cloud of dust billowing up into the air. He coughed, waving his hands in a lame attempt to blow the dust away from his face. "Ah, what torture William puts me through!"

"Is there any point to this?" Elizabeth asked him as she pulled a fan out of her clothing and waved it before her, blowing some of the dust away. She knew it would just resettle somewhere else and later be disturbed again as someone looked through the old boxes of ancient files. "We already know the history of the Dutchman. I've been on the Dutchman!"

"Knowing William as I do, he wants to know the entire history of the ship…" Grell sighed unhappily as he paused to study one of his red painted fingernails. Satisfied that it wasn't cracked or chipped, he pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "It's almost quitting time. Let's leave this horrid musty dirt and go find your Navy fellows. All of this grime is not good for our skin."

Elizabeth shoved one heavier box aside on the shelf to expose the one behind it. As far as she could tell, the records in this part of the room were many centuries old and it was a miracle it all just didn't crumble away to dust, especially with the way Grell was tossing the boxes around. But apparently the records Shinigami kept were made of sturdier stuff than the paper mortals relied on and it stayed strong over the long years. The newly exposed box had a drawing on the outside and it caught her eye. It was of a face with an open mouth, three circles inside the mouth. It seemed familiar for some reason and she stared at it, trying to recall where she had seen it before.

"Did you hear me?" Grell asked as he came up behind her, his red coat hanging off of his forearms as it usually did. "What in the world is that? It looks ghastly!"

"But I've seen it before…" Elizabeth stated as she tried to reach for the box at the back of the deep shelf, only to discover her arm was too short. "Except it wasn't a drawing like this is…it was a carving, made out of wood."

"Why would anyone carve such an ugly face out of wood?" Grell gently pushed her out of the way and reached for the box, managing to just grasp it by the upper edge, his fingers curling around the box. He pulled then, hoping the box wouldn't come apart with age but to his relief it stayed together.

"It's ugly because the face was meant to terrify you." Elizabeth replied as she finally recalled where she saw it. "It was covered in slime and dirt, just like the rest of the Dutchman. The ship was in awful condition, all manner of seaweed and sea life like barnacles sticking to the ship. The whole ship had a weird greenish hue to it and it smelled dreadful, too, like spoilt fish. The three circles inside the mouth are the ship's rare triple cannons."

Grell turned to look at her, the heavy box in his arms. Dirt was smeared across his face and dust clung to his clothing. "So these are the files we're looking for?"

"I think so." She reached into the box and pulled out the first file. It was labeled "Davy Jones". She didn't even bother reading it but slid it back in with the rest of it. "Yes, this is it all right."

"Finally! Let's go dump it off by dear William and let him read it!" Grell happily led the way out of the maze-like file room and headed towards William's office. Soon they were there and he barged in without knocking as he was wont to do. The dark haired grim reaper was seated behind his desk with a pile of papers and he looked up as the redhead entered. He strode up to his boss's desk and allowed the heavy box of files to drop onto the desk's surface, a cloud of dust billowing up into the air the moment of impact. The entire desk shook and William's neat stack of papers shifted and his pen holder tippled over. "Here you are, Will dear, the files on the Flying Dutchman!"

Elizabeth stood to the side a bit, watching.

William ran a hand over his face, removing the thin film of dust that had gathered there and then proceeded to clean his precious eyeglasses with the pristine hanky from his pocket. Somehow he managed not to cough. "You could have cleaned the dust off first, Grell."

"But … it's … quitting time!" The redhead protested between bouts of coughing. "And it's utterly horrid in that room, all musty, moldy and full of dirt! Can you imagine the damage that does to my pores?"

William sighed at the dramatics, watching as the redhead shook his red jacket, clouds of dust flying into the air. "Fine, the two of you can go. Tomorrow you'll start your training."

Elizabeth hoped it was more exciting than what she had done today, as it had been utterly boring. She glanced down at her hands and was surprised to see them black with dirt, the blackness rubbed into her skin. The once-white sleeves of her pirate shirt were covered in old cobwebs and the cuffs were stained black from moving the grime covered boxes. She followed Grell out of William's office, the two walking down the long corridor.

Ronald came around the corner in a wild rush, pushing his lawnmower. He almost ran into them but skidded to a halt just in time. His ringed green eyes widened at the sight of their clothing. "Were have you two been?"

"In the records room, where else?" Grell whined unhappily as he raised a dirt covered hand and stared at it in horror. He frowned unhappily at what he saw, his sharp teeth showing. "That William is a real brute! He doesn't care for a woman's beautiful skin at all! Look at this dirt! It's all over us! Now we'll have to soak in the bath for hours!"

The blonde reaper nodded his head in an understanding way. "I hate going in there, too. The place is a maze…and poor Alan can't go in there at all due to the dust."

"Why can't he send the secretaries to get it for him?" Grell asked. "Isn't that what they're for? I'm supposed to be out reaping souls!"

"I just collected the last one for today." Ronald shifted his gaze to her then and a smile broke out across his face. "Hey, you want to go to a party with me? We're not all sticks in the mud like William. I doubt if he ever attended a party in his life."

Elizabeth studied the chipper blonde for a moment, pondering exactly what he meant by the word party. She recalled the boring social events she attended in Port Royal with the orchestra playing music that would put one to sleep and the formal dancing. "No, thank you. I'm not dressed for a social occasion."

Her words seemed to surprise the blonde and she was sure she heard her mother make a snorting sound that might have been a stifled laugh. Apparently Ronald wasn't used to getting turned down.

"But it'll be fun!" Ronald insisted as he started to follow her and Grell down the hallway. "You can meet the rest of the Shinigami that work here in the building. Not all of us are lucky enough to be reapers you know. And I really don't know of any, umm, special dress codes…"

She looked at Ronald over her shoulder, surprised he was still persisting. She decided that he was just trying to be friendly and not really attempting to make any romantic overtures. "Perhaps some other time, Ronald, I'm afraid I have things to do."

"Like what?" He asked. "What could be more fun than going to a party?"

The hallway ended and Grell pushed the heavy door open, the fresh outside air blowing in and whipping his dusty hair off of his shoulders. He stepped outside and Elizabeth followed him, Ronald hot on her heels. The sea breeze filled her nose, clearing out the ancient musty air from the records room and she breathed it in deeply. Her feet followed the path and soon the still nameless sea came into sight. It didn't surprise her than James, Andrew and Theo had the new pier completed, but she heard the other two exclaim their surprise. The three Navy men were waiting there, talking to each other and she saw James' green eyes light up as he saw her. Even from this distance it was obvious to her how his posture changed upon spotting her. Did she really mean so much to him?

"I have to practice if you must know." She replied as she grimaced at the dirt rubbed into her skin. It was annoying her and she wanted to get it off.

"Practice what?" Ronald asked sounding confused. "You didn't even start your training yet, so how can you practice?"

Elizabeth paused, a slight smirk on her face as she turned to face Ronald. "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course I do." The blonde grim reaper replied, but he must have noticed her expression as he looked somewhat uncertain.

Her hand stretched across her body and gripped the hilt of her sword, pulling it free in one swift motion. Her arm whipped out with incredible speed and the next second the cutlass's tip was at the blonde's neck. "You're dead."

Ronald stared cross-eyed at the sword pointing at him, the sharp tip just a mere hairbreadth from his precious skin. "So… you're really a pirate? I mean, you really know how to use that sword?"

"Of course I know how to use it! I would be a very poor pirate if I couldn't." Elizabeth rolled her green eyes, but pulled the sword away and noted that Ronald had seemed surprised but not scared.

"Your mother was never much for parties, either." Ronald finally said with a sigh of defeat. "He was always chasing that demon and cutting stuff up with that chainsaw."

Elizabeth wondered if he realized how odd it sounded to use the words "mother" and "he" when referring to the same person. She supposed the blonde was used to it, but it was still a bit hard for her to accept that her mother was technically a male. She was sure it was even harder for James to accept. "Yes, I suppose I do take after my mother in that regard."

Grell squealed happily and promptly gave her another tight bear hug.

"But maybe someday you'll change your mind and come to one of the parties." Ronald said as he checked his watch. "Well, I don't want to miss the fun so I'm going to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Elizabeth watched the blonde hurry off to the party he didn't want to miss. Did he do that every evening? If he did, didn't it get boring, the repetition of the same thing over and over? Surely there were more important things to do or was he really that shallow? She had become King and had risked it all for freedom, something very much worth fighting for. But maybe he had never come across an important cause before, something important enough to risk all for? Truthfully, she didn't remember much about Ronald or the others from her childhood, but she was slowly getting to know them. It would take time but now that she was a death god she had all the time in the world.

James appeared at her side then along with Andrew and Theo. She could see their eyes taking in the dust and dirt that covered her and Grell. It was clear to her they had been in the water as their clothes were semi-dry, the material still clinging in places. A dip in the sea sounded refreshing at this point.

"I see you were busy." James stated dryly as he reached out and pulled a long bit of cobweb out of her hair, the thin gray material clinging to his hand.

"Yes, and it was utterly boring! I might as well have been sitting in the parlor and doing needlework." She exclaimed as she pulled her mother's arms off of her and dashed towards the sea. Reaching the edge, she leaped off and a moment later landed with a smooth splash in the deep, cool water. The coldness was a shock, as she was used to the tropical Caribbean, but after a few moments it didn't feel so cold anymore. She dove down to the bottom and grabbed a handful of sand, rubbing at her filthy hands with it. She knew it could remove dirt easily and she already felt cleaner just being in the water. A moment later she came up for air, shoving the wet hair out of her eyes. She saw her mother looking worried but apparently unwilling to jump into the water.

Elizabeth easily pulled herself up onto the pier and rose to her feet, noting that the black dirt was gone from her hands now. The sea had washed the cobwebs away as well and even her shirt was white again, the dirt at the cuffs gone.

"You're clean!" Grell exclaimed in surprise as he looked at her, a dirty hand waving about in the air for emphasis. "How can you get clean just by jumping in the sea? It's not a proper bubble bath, with scented soaps and oils and other girlish things?"

She shrugged. "You don't have those things on a ship. Fresh water is a luxury so you learn to make do."

"Ah, my poor baby has been traumatized by shipboard life!" The redhead exclaimed as he threw a hand up by his forehead, as if he were about to faint.

Elizabeth thought it looked very familiar, as if she had seen it before and then realized why. She had done the same thing earlier during the hunt for Davy Jones Heart, exclaiming 'Oh, the heat!' and then falling over in a fake faint. Apparently a flair for dramatics was another thing she got from Grell, although he certainly used it a lot more than she did.

"We shall get you a proper bath, with bubbles, when we get home!" Grell promised her as he waved a hand to open the portal.

000

Elizabeth emerged from her bubble bath that her mother had insisted on and she had to admit that it indeed had felt good to have a proper bath; something that she hadn't had in a long time. As a pirate, one didn't usually have such luxuries when one was running from the law. But now that she was living at Phantomhive she could enjoy the luxuries of a wealthy life again. Still, it felt odd in some way as she had been roughing it for what had seemed like a long time.

She pulled on one of her dresses and swept up her hair, using a curling iron to make ringlets about her face. Once again she would transform into the governor's daughter instead of the pirate, something she knew that would please James. It amazed her how easy it was to play both roles. She could effortlessly switch back and forth between the two, just like the sea could be calm or angry. Maybe that was why James loved her so?

She stepped into the dining room to the unexpected sounds of raised voices.

"What do you mean the King wants to see her?" Grell demanded of the young Earl as he waved a hand about, clearly upset. "She's a pirate! He could have her arrested and hung!"

"I don't like it anymore than you do." Ciel replied calmly as he looked up at the upset Shinigami. "And I have no idea how the King even knew she was here or what he wants. I had presumed it was just another assignment, some case to solve…"

"But I just got her back! I can't lose her again!" Grell cried as he leaned heavily on the already set dinner table, causing the vases of fresh flowers to tremble and threaten to tipple over. The death god was once again clean, the dirt and cobwebs gone. His long red hair shone in the candlelight and sweet perfume wafted off of him. He wore a fresh set of clothes except for his ever present red coat that he had long ago borrowed from Madame Red (who long ago ceased trying to get it back).

Sebastian approached Grell from behind and wrapped his arms about him. The demon pressed his face close to the other's ear and spoke gently. "Grell, calm yourself. Our daughter is a Shinigami now. I doubt if a human king can harm her."

"But even Shinigami can die…" The redhead whispered. "Alan's illness proves that. His attacks get worst and worst…"

A jolt of hot fear wafted through her or perhaps it was shock. She hadn't realized that Shinigami could die or get ill, but she had noticed that Alan had looked sick, his face unusually pale and drained of color. She had thought it was from staying indoors a lot, but now she knew it wasn't so. Her immortality wasn't so perfect after all. But she couldn't let that bother her. She had been through a lot worst.

She squared her shoulders and held her head proudly. "The King wants to see me, King George?"

"Yes, he does, although I'm uncertain as to why." Ciel replied from where he sat at the head of the long dining table. He wore his usual outfit of white shirt, a dark blue waistcoat, a bright blue tie tied in a bow about his neck and shorts with long socks and buckle shoes. His soft dark blue almost black hair hung over one eye while the other blue eye was exposed. Ciel was a demon so it would turn red when he used his powers but otherwise it remained its normal blue shade. "I tried to find out but he was unwilling to tell me."

Elizabeth strode further into the room, all of the eyes on her. Her extended family was here, including her Aunt who called herself Madame Red. They seemed to be amazed at the sudden change in her appearance, as they had always seen her in her male pirate outfit but she was very much the lady now in one of the beautiful gowns her father, Weatherby, had bought her. Her posture was perfect and she held a fan in her hand instead of a sword. She knew she was beautiful and her time as a pirate hadn't changed that. She realized she needed to start thinking of Sebastian as her father, as he was the real deal, but Weatherby had raised her for all of those years and she was used to thinking of him as her father – but she would make an effort to try to change that. "What exactly did he say?"

"He said he wanted to see the Pirate King and knew that you were the King." Ciel informed her.

She tilted her head slightly, thinking. "I'll go see him then."

"Elizabeth, no!" James exclaimed as he rushed forward and took her arm. "That's a very bad idea! He could hang you!"

A somewhat crooked smile broke out over her face. "I suspect he wants something. And I have since learned that currency is now the currency of the realm. It's what Lord Beckett told me. I was able to make a deal with him and I suspect I can make one with the King as well."

"I do not like gambling like that with your life. It's too risky." James informed her as he tilted her chin to stare into her now green eyes. "St James Palace is no doubt well guarded by the best. If things go wrong, how will you get away? It all may just be a clever ruse to catch you."

"But I learned from the best…" Elizabeth reminded him.

"This is all Sparrow's fault! If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be in this mess." James said sourly as he thought of the pirate. "You'd be living the fine life in Port Royal and you wouldn't be a pirate."

"No, I'd be dead at the bottom of the sea." Elizabeth reminded him as she thought of the day that had started all of her adventures, the day she had fallen off the top of Fort Charles due to the corset. "I fell off Fort Charles, remember? Jack saved me, he didn't have to, but he did."

James sighed. It always came back to Sparrow's act of chivalry. "If it matters any, I was going to leap off to save you, but my officers stopped me. They feared I'd hit the rocks…"

She allowed James to help seat her at the table, but her mind was on the upcoming meeting with the King. She just couldn't fathom what the King of England could possibly want with her. She knew her father, Weatherby, had been friends with the man more or less or on good terms with him anyway, but she just didn't see the reason for the invitation. He could have just sent his men to arrest her but he wasn't doing that. And that could only mean the King wanted something from her, but what? She didn't have anything but the Empress and he could easily take that from her at any moment.

Sebastian started to serve dinner then but the mood at the table was anything but relaxed. Still, she felt confident that things would go well, especially if she planned ahead of time.

TBC...

Check out my other BB/Pirates story "Darker Heart".


	3. A Visit with the King

Jack Sparrow 3

Many Months Before, Somewhere on the Caribbean Sea:

Blackbeard sat at his desk, the smoke hanging in the air from many scented candles and steadily worked on making the voodoo doll of Jack Sparrow. The shiny sewing needle gleamed in the candlelight as he shoved it through the cloth as he worked his black magic. The ship was sailing for the Fountain of Youth and Whitecap Cove and he sensed they would be there soon enough. And there, somewhere in that mysterious jungle his fate would be decided.

But Blackbeard, like any Necromancer, wasn't stupid. For one, he didn't really trust his daughter all that much. Oh, he acted caring in her presence but she was just another tool in the end, a pawn to be used. Her daughterly devotion and the foolishness of desiring to save his soul just made her so much easier to manipulate. He knew when the time came, due to her weak loving heart, she would willingly die for him. Yes, Angelica was weak and stupid, just like her beautiful mother had been. There was a bit of his darkness inside her, but it had been stamped down by many years spent in the Spanish convent and those rules rammed into her head. For all her willingness to be a pirate, she still believed in being saved and in Heaven and all of the other nonsense. And because he didn't entirely trust her, he never told her everything.

Blackbeard never told anyone everything. It's how he lived to be a powerful captain out here on the seas. A smile creased the corners of his lips upward as he continued to sew, making quick progress on the body of the doll. What no one knew was that the Fountain was his backup plan. First and foremost he was a Necromancer. As that he had already conquered Death, just never his own.

He knew the proper spell to perform so he could outlive his own death. If it worked as it should, he would continue on after death as a powerful lich; an undead wizard. He had already brewed and drunk the proper potions performed the proper spells and incantations – he just didn't know if it would work and that made him uneasy. The problem was there was no way for him to be certain it would until after his death and by then it would be too late to say 'Oops, I said that phrase wrong'. And so they were sailing to the Fountain.

But he knew something others did not. Long life wasn't the only thing the Fountain was good for. For a sorcerer like himself, it was a source of power and he intended to harness that power and then he would be invincible.

000

Present Day (1750), London

Elizabeth sat between her parents on a plush sofa in the lady's parlor, a room that Ciel himself barely ever used. Many years ago his mother used to entertain her lady friends here but since the fire it had sat empty and forgotten as the young earl preferred the billiards room for guests or the main room for balls. But now it could be hers, as Ciel had offered it to her. She felt the awkwardness creep in again now that there wasn't anything to do or some task to finish. The truth was she really didn't know either of them well at all.

"You're not really going to go see the King, are you?" Grell asked as he turned to face her, his slim arm wrapping about her. "He could kill you! And I couldn't bear to lose you now, not when I just got you back!"

Her green ringed eyes widened at his words. "But I thought Shinigami are immortal…"

"Well, we are, mostly, but Alan is dying from a disease so we really are not that immune to death. He has the Thorns of Death and with each passing day the thorns work themselves deeper into his heart. We are immune to most things, of course, but we can still die. Even demons can die. I've killed a number of them myself when darling Sebas-chan asked me to…"

"But why would you kill demons?" She asked as she grew more confused. Wasn't Sebastian a demon? It was beginning to sound like her parents had lived a very eventful life in her absence, one just as exciting as her own.

"Because other demons are not trust worthy." Sebastian explained in a calm voice. "And some go as far as to break contracts or twist them in unexpected ways. There was one in particular, Claude, which tried to steal away Young Master's soul from me and in the end that is how Ciel became a demon. Just because I am honorable and follow my contract does not mean other demons are that way."

"Truthfully, I'm not even sure I understand what a demon is…" Elizabeth admitted as she looked at her father. From his appearance, he looked like a handsome man with pale skin, dark red eyes and soft black hair that fell about his face. He certainly didn't look demonic or evil, well, not yet anyway. But she knew that could be just a disguise. Calypso had looked like an ordinary woman as well until she was freed from her bonds, grew into a giant and then magically changed into thousands of crabs. Perhaps she should be thankful she hadn't seen her father's true form, as surely a demon couldn't look pretty, could he?

"We are magical creatures of Hell." Sebastian explained as a smile graced his lips and his eyes started to glow an eerie bright red. Little sparkles danced about in his eyes, the tiny pinpricks of light glowing like embers in a fire. "We have incredible powers, of course. I have rebuilt this house many times after it had burned to nothing but ashes. A few hours and a bit of effort, I can make an identical replica of the entire Phantomhive Manor down to the slightest detail, including all furniture and possessions in the home."

"Aaahhh, my Sebas-Chan is so amazing!" Grell sighed dreamily as he gazed lovingly at his demon.

"Why, I can even make it possible for Grell to be a mother."

"Sadly, I cannot do that on my own." The redhead admitted a bit glumly. "It seems otherwise I don't have the proper parts…"

Elizabeth took it all in with a thoughtful expression on her face. Had she inherited any of her father's magic powers? She certainly had found it very easy to hide a ton of weapons on her body, including that big blunderbuss. She smiled as she recalled Barbossa's confused expression, as he clearly had no idea where she had stashed it away! But had that been her demon powers or her Shinigami powers? She would be sure to ask later. "Is there anything you can't do?"

The demon grinned. "So far I have accomplished everything my Master has told me to do without fail. Due to the current circumstances, Ciel and I are stuck in our contract and he will forever be my Master. The contract cannot be completed until I eat his soul and since he is a demon now I cannot do that. Otherwise I have done everything. I am also a very ancient and powerful demon, having been around since before they built the pyramids."

Elizabeth tried to imagine what living that long would be like and failed miserably. She just couldn't see it, as she was still used to being a mortal. "You must have seen many amazing things."

"I have indeed." The demon confirmed. "Mankind is getting more advanced with technology but emotionally they have stayed the same, with the same greed and desires, the same hopes and fears. Demons rely on that to form contracts, for human souls are our food. Unlike other demons, I only eat those who have made a contract with me. Others mean nothing to me."

"That must take a lot of self control." Elizabeth commented. She had never expected a demon to have honor, but then there were rare people who didn't fit into the normal expected mold. Jack was that way, too.

"I often go years between meals." Sebastian simple answered.

"Can you please reconsider seeing the King?" Grell asked with worry clear in his voice. "Now that you're a Shinigami you really don't have to go see him. It's not like he's really important, well, not from our viewpoint. He's just a fat slob of a mortal!"

"I'm not scared of the King and I don't want to live with the constant possibility of arrest over my head. I'd rather clear it up and he can offer a pardon. I suspect he wants something; some sort of deal and I'll work that to my advantage. I'll be fine, Mother." Elizabeth smiled to reassure him, hoping it would work. She had faced far worst in her recent life than having a meeting with King George II.

"Well, if you insist on going tomorrow, I'm going with you!" Grell loudly proclaimed.

Sebastian sighed unhappily. "Grell, that is not a good idea."

"Well, why ever not?" The hotheaded Shinigami demanded, his green eyes flashing with emotion. "I lost her once and I'm not going to lose her again! I won't let them lock her away in some horrid cell and put manacles on her wrists! That's what they do to pirates!"

"Because one must behave properly in front of the King," Sebastian explained as he tried to calm the other down. "I cannot have you lose control and start slaughtering people with your death scythe just because she may be in danger. Ciel and I will protect her. Besides, hanging her won't work. You know that very well yourself."

"Are you saying I can't control myself?"

"And not just anyone can get into the audience with the King." The demon pointed out, knowing that it was true. "The King's safety is paramount and only a very select few are admitted into his presence."

"Well, then I'll go ask Madame Red to take me. She's a Baroness and surely she can go there with Ciel? You know I can be a great actress. Didn't I fool you when we first met all of those years ago?" Grell smiled with sure confidence now, his shark teeth gleaming.

"I am afraid, Grell, you gave the game away by using words like "death" and "die" numerous times. By the time you left the Manor that night to escort Lady Midford home I knew exactly what you were. You had fooled the humans but not me."

Grell seemed a bit surprised but shrugged it off. "My Sebas-chan is so smart and clever! It's why I love you so! But really, I promise to behave and be properly invisible in the background as a proper butler!"

The thought suddenly occurred to Elizabeth that she now had two separate appointments tomorrow. How could she go see the King if she was supposed to start training to be a Shinigami? And William T. Spears didn't seem to be the sort to like people who didn't do as they were told. He was even more stiff and sour than James, something she hadn't thought was even possible but clearly was. "But what about the training tomorrow?"

"Oh, we'll just arrive late. Dear Will won't mind at all…" Grell replied with a wave of one black gloved hand, dismissing it easily. "He gives me paid vacations whenever I ask."

For some reason, Elizabeth doubted that. Her mother was clearly a wild spirit, a pirate at heart that disliked rules when they didn't suit her.

000

James Norrington was in the bedroom that he had been assigned at Phantomhive, his officers and best friends with him at the moment. The events of the past day or two had moved so quickly that he suspected that he was still in some state of shock. Well, perhaps not actual shock as he was used to dealing with deadly situations but there was lots of undigested things to think about during the quiet moments. Shocking things, things like the fact that Elizabeth's real father was a demon. He could see Andrew and Theo standing before him at the very moment, looking to him for guidance. They both looked a bit worried and truth be told he couldn't blame them.

"James," Theo said somewhat uncertainly. "Is it safe to stay in the home of a demon? I mean a demon of all things! How can that even be true?"

"Truthfully nothing surprises me anymore or so I thought. Now I find that the only woman I have ever loved is a half-demon…" James said rather dryly as he slowly removed his fancy admiral frock coat and neatly hung it up on a peg. He knew Elizabeth was currently having a much needed family meeting with her true parents, something that oddly enough had left him a bit envious. His own father had been cold and uncaring, an officer through and through. He didn't think of the past often, yet he always tried to live up to that uncaring man's standards. Still he was glad to see that Elizabeth had been welcomed with open arms and a family that had been truly delighted to get her back. He could only hope that it filled the empty gap in her heart where Governor Swann used to be. "And as for it being safe, I suppose so. It's a little late to worry about that now as we're already grim reapers…"

"But how can demons be real?" Andrew asked him.

"Everything else seems to be…" James replied as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "I don't see why demons would be the exception."

"But aren't they … evil?" Theo asked, clearly having difficulty accepting the fact that demons might be something else. The Lieutenant Commander glanced about the room uneasily, as if he expected unseen eyes to be watching him from the painting on the walls. He then inched closer to James and leaned forward, his voice a soft whisper. "Isn't it our duty to do something about them?"

"But they haven't done anything yet and the law clearly states we can't arrest a person unless they do something. In fact, we're the ones breaking the law by associating with a known pirate." James laughed weirdly with a touch of sarcasm. "Trust me, Theo, I know exactly how you feel. It's like the whole world twisted upside-down and backward. Demons are now our friends and it's the King who we might have to worry about. That and our new job is to go around collecting the souls of the dead and dying, once we learn how that is."

"But…" Andrew said fearfully as he too glanced at the closed door to the room. "What if they do try something? How do we protect ourselves?"

"I think we need to forget the old stereotypes that are in our heads and just accept the situation at face value. Elizabeth's father is a demon and in the near future I'll have the grand pleasure of asking him for his daughter's hand. It was difficult enough asking Weatherby and we were friends…"

"I don't envy you that." Theo replied honestly.

"Neither do I." Andrew agreed.

"What we should be worry about is how to protect Elizabeth tomorrow when she goes to see the King. Unfortunately, I've never been there so I have no idea of the layout but we do seem to have an advantage now that we're grim reapers. I just can't fathom what he could want. He could just as easily send marines here to arrest us and yet he's not doing that at all, so he clearly wants her to cooperate with whatever he desires."

Whatever the King wanted, James was sure it would not bode well for any of them. He recalled Lord Beckett too easily with his greed for the Heart and for controlling the seas. Things had clearly gone bizarre in the heads of those who held power over the British Empire and why should the King be any different. It would probably be something equally insane.

"We had better get some sleep. Tomorrow will come soon enough and we'll need clear heads if we're going to keep Elizabeth safe."

000

The next day arrived as expected, the bright sun rising in the east and brightening the sky. The light shone in through the drapes and fell on Elizabeth's face, waking her from her slumber. At one time, what seemed like ages ago now, she would have burrowed into the covers to block out the hated light and would have kept sleeping until her father forced her awake. But that was a thing of the past and her mind was far sharper now. She was already tossing the light covers off and climbing to her feet, her mind on the day ahead. Her eyesight was bleary and a stab of hot panic went through her middle until she recalled she had to wear the special glasses now. Reaching for them on her dresser, she shoved them onto her face and sighed in relief when the room came into sharp focus.

Elizabeth had pondered for some time on what she should wear for her meeting with the King. It needed to be stately due to her title of Pirate King but she knew she also needed to move quickly if required. That eliminated her traditional long gowns, as it was the absolute worst thing possible to run in. The skirts were too long, heavy and confining. No, she needed a power outfit and only one thing was suitable.

The door unexpectedly squeaked open then, a pale face with large spectacles and short red hair peering in. "Begging my pardon, Miss, but do you need help getting dressed? Sebastian sent me he did."

Elizabeth turned to see the maid standing there, clearly wanting to help. It had been ages since she had help dressing from a maid. "If you want to, but I refuse to wear a corset. Those things are deadly and one almost killed me."

"Oh my, how ghastly!" Mey Rin exclaimed, a hand going to her open mouth. "Sebastian told me to help you with whatever you need, that he did! And to think you're going to go see the King! Why you must have the loveliest dress picked out I'm sure!"

"I'm not wearing a dress." Elizabeth stated as she opened her wardrobe and pulled out the appropriate outfit, laying it on the bed. "Well, not a traditional one anyway…"

Mey Rin's eyes grew wide behind her giant round glasses and she gasped in delight at the black and ivory outfit on the bed. "Look at the tons of embroidery! It's lovely it is! It must have cost a fortune yes it did."

Elizabeth smiled at the kind words and allowed the maid to help her get dressed. Soon her nightgown was off and the black and ivory Singapore outfit was on. It was intricate in the details and it included leather to help protect against sword blades – not that leather would stop steal but it was stronger than cotton or silk. The outfit sported a very wide belt with metal insets and the black leather on her shoulders was shaped like fish scales. The same fish scale leather also hung down on the sides of the skirt. The ivory embroidery on the black background was indeed intricate with lots of fanciful swirls and leave shapes. The front of the skirt where it parted, which ended just below her knees to reveal a tall pair of boots, was lined with fancy eyelets. After checking herself in the mirror, she strapped on her sword and put on the hat that went with the outfit.

She was once again the King of the Pirates.

Satisfied with her appearance, she left her bedroom and headed towards the stairs. Just before she reached them, she heard Ciel voice raise in annoyance and she paused, listening.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why Earl Phantomhive, is that any way to treat an old friend? I just came to visit and pay my respects to your distinguished guests." A strange but melodic voice floated up to her ears.

"I thought I told you not to drop in unexpected." Ciel continued on. "I don't have time to entertain you today. I have a meeting with the King."

"Oh, I know that. It's why I'm here after all. And it's not every day that such an illustrious Chinese junk moors itself here, you know, especially that one. Why, the Empress is famous!"

"Fine, fine, Lau." Ciel replied in a tone that suggested he had given up trying to get rid of the man. "You might as well join us for breakfast."

Elizabeth stopped ease dropping then and continued on the way to the stairs. Descending them, she soon reached the bottom and soon met a Chinese man dressed in dark blue outfit lined with red. A cute Chinese girl near his own age clung to his arm.

He bowed to her politely, smiling. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lau, representing the British branch of Kon Ron. This is my dear sister, Ran-Mao. By your dress, I see you have been to Asia. I hope you have enjoyed your stay in my homeland while you were there."

"Yes, I did." She replied politely and returned the traditional bow; hiding the fact the visit had been anything but pleasant. She had been stripped searched, humiliated by said search, stared at rudely, attacked by the British, almost killed and then a fireworks warehouse had blown up. It all had been very relaxing indeed. "It was a very interesting and educational time."

"And the Empress is yours now?" Lau asked with interest, his eyes just little slits. "It is a very famous ship you know, not just for anyone. A big responsibility goes with the Empress. Are you sure you wish to take on such a task? Why, you are just a young maid!"

"I'm afraid the ship's previous owner met an unfortunate death due to a cannonball ripping through him." She replied cooly.

"Oh my, how very dreadful!" Lau gasped, looking startled. "That sounds very painful."

"I have since inherited his titles." Elizabeth replied, eyeing Lau and asking herself if the man was a pirate. He didn't dress like one but she knew that meant nothing. Rich pirates often dressed like noblemen and could act decent when they wanted to. That and most of them were great scammers. At least he didn't sport the horrid fingernails that Feng had fancied and his English was much better than those who had worked on the Empress.

"Sao Feng was a powerful man and those are big shoes to fill. I would be happy to help you in your endeavors, of course. I often assist Ciel as well when I can." Lau smiled cheerfully, even though Sao Feng had not been a nice or cheerful man. "You see, I run a nice little den here on the side and do feel free to stop by at any time you wish if you desire some recreation."

It was now Elizabeth's turn to smile sweetly. "No, thank you."

"Oh, you don't care for opium?" Lau seemed a bit surprised. "Perhaps strong spirits are more to your liking? I have some of that as well you know. There would be no charge, of course, for someone as illustrious as yourself."

James Norrington appeared at Elizabeth's elbow then, his green ringed eyes glaring at Lau coldly. "Miss Swann is a governor's daughter. She does not indulge in such things."

"Oh, my mistake." Lau said with a thin finger raised to his chin. "I had thought she was the new Pirate Lord of the South China Seas."

"I am the new Pirate Lord." Elizabeth confirmed.

"Well, what do you like? I will be sure to keep it in stock if I can."

Before Elizabeth could reply, Grell dashed up to her in his butler disguise and exclaimed loudly over the beautiful outfit, fingering the material. "Oh, where did you ever get it from?"

"From Singapore."

"My baby has been to Singapore? You have to tell me about it!" Grell demanded as he gripped her by the arm and started to haul her away towards the table, acting very unlike the butler he was disguised as. "I want to hear every detail! Why, Will never lets me go anywhere and here it sounds like you've been around the world!"

Lau smiled politely at Norrington, ignoring the dark look on the other's face.

000

Breakfast was finally over and it was time to go see the King. Ciel was dressed in a fine black and white outfit, the clothing being mostly black with white trim. He sported a matching tricorne on his head with a thick clump of luxurious feathers atop the hat and a spray of fresh flowers decorated the left breast of his richly embroidered frock coat. His gold tipped walking stick was in his hand and thus he led the way out to the waiting carriage, the others falling into line.

Outside, the group paused.

"Well, this is where I say my goodbyes for now." Lau stated sweetly with a smile, as relaxed as ever as Ran-Mao clung to his arm. He turned to Elizabeth. "I assure you I am doing a fine job running this end of the business. You will be well pleased with Kon Ron and the income it produces. Perhaps we should discuss it soon, as it is now yours and I am your humble servant."

The news surprised Elizabeth, but she hid it well. She hadn't realized that Sao Feng had owned businesses or those that pretended to be businesses and had just presumed all of his wealth came from pirating. Clearly that was not the case. She watched him climb into his own awaiting carriage and leave.

"Let's get going!" Madame Red exclaimed as she moved past Ciel towards the waiting carriage. As usual, she was dressed entirely in bright red except for a white blouse with a big ruffle on the front, which was visible above the "V" shape of her red coat just below her throat. A broad rimmed red hat perched on her head, shading her delicate skin from the morning sun. "This should be exciting!"

"Where do you think you're going?" Ciel demanded sourly as he glared at her with his single dark blue eye. "Sebastian and I are going to see the King."

"And I'm going with you." Madame Red replied smoothly, smiling s she turned to face him. The lipstick she wore was as bright as her clothing and made her lips stand out from her pale face. Her dark red eyes glimmered with excitement. "Come now, nephew, don't hog all of the fun for yourself. I've never met the King and now would be the perfect opportunity, don't you think?"

"This is not a social call, Madame. This is Watchdog business. You should not get involved." Ciel watched sourly as Grell hurried forward in his butler disguise, holding out his white gloved hand to help Madame into the waiting carriage. The young Earl could easily see what was going on: the annoying Shinigami had wanted to come over concern for his daughter and so he had convinced Madame Red to go as well. And Madame loving such exciting things, such as murder cases and gossip, of course thought it was the perfect idea. The two were still henchmen in crime together. At least they had stopped murdering prostitutes.

"But Ciel," Madame Red protested as she took Grell's hand. "Let us at least go with you to Saint James Palace. What harm can that do?"

"Plenty if a certain individual can't control himself."Ciel stated firmly, his eye glaring at Grell. He sighed then, knowing that the other was determined. And most of the time Grell didn't seem to understand what "no" meant. He would then beg, plead, pester and shake in that annoying way of his. Often the only thing to shut him up was a look from Sebastian and then the Shinigami either grew dreamy-eyed or more excited. "Fine. You can come. But don't say anything and stay in the background. I don't want to be embarrassed by any mishaps."

Grell grinned happily and helped Madame Red up into the carriage. Once she was in, he helped Elizabeth in as well.

"I hate going into London…" Ciel stated as he too climbed into the carriage, seating himself next to his aunt on the cushioned seat. "It's always so loud and crowded."

"Oh, it's not that bad." Madame Red reassured him with a smile. "I really don't see why you hate it so much. I think you spend too much time out here in the country. If you'd just get your mind off all of that gloomy stuff, it would be better for your health…"

"I doubt if I need be concerned over my health at this point." Ciel replied. "I just wish I knew what the King wanted. He didn't give the slightest hint at all."

Elizabeth moved over to the far side of the carriage to make room on the seat for James, Theo and Andrew. The six of them just squeezed into the carriage and left little elbow room. Sebastian saw they were all in and then he closed the door, heading to the front to sit next to Grell. The Shinigami signaled the horses with the driving whip, touching them on their shoulder and the carriage started to roll forward. It moved down the path under thick trees that provided shade until it left Phantomhive property heading towards the city in the distance.

"Elizabeth," James said with concern in his voice and eyes. "Are you sure this is the proper course? Cannot I persuade you to change your mind?"

The Pirate King leaned against the back of the seat, her arms folded across her stomach. "I'm seeing the King and that's finale. Once and for all we'll put this mess behind us. If we play our cards right it'll work out in our favor I'm sure."

She turned to look out the window, seeing the green countryside slowly change into the outer sprawls of London Town with more and more houses appearing. The noise outside the carriage grew in volume as well. Kids shouted, sellers called out their wares and there was the loud hum of countless conversations at once. Other carriages rumbled past every so often adding to the din with horse hooves on cobblestones and the roar of wagon wheels. They went deeper into the city and soon a new sound joined the chaos: the clatter of red-coated marines running about.

"I don't like this." James stated nervously as his experienced eye took in the activity of the lobsters. "It's clear they're searching for someone."

"Well, it wasn't like this yesterday." Ciel replied smoothly as he eyed the commotion for a moment. "But I'm sure it has nothing to do with us. They're probably after some common thief."

"You don't send a regiment of marines out for a common thief." James pointed out from his years of service. "They've must have spotted someone highly desired."

Due to the commotion, the carriage slowed even more as they grew closer to Saint James Palace. Soon they were there and the carriage pulled to a stop in the courtyard. Elizabeth eyed the large number of smartly dressed Royal Guards standing in ranks nearby and swallowed nervously, her palms sweating slightly. She couldn't let the show of power affect her; she needed to be cool, calm and level headed. The King of England wanted her cooperation clearly and that gave her the upper hand; otherwise she would have just been rudely tossed into a cell. Sebastian opened the door then and they all stepped out.

"Let's get this over with." Ciel stated as he started to walk forward, his demon butler following at his heels as always. Madame Red fell in line with Grell following her and James held out his arm for Elizabeth so he could escort her as was proper. His crisp admiral's uniform and his two lieutenants in tow relaxed the Royal Guard, putting them at ease. None of them stared at Elizabeth more than cursory glances and they didn't seem to realize that she was the King of the Pirates.

A pair of Royal Guards led them to the same room Ciel had been in the other day and then left. As before the long table was set up with plates of food. There was a wide variety of choice items ranging from bowls of perfect fruit without the slightest bruise to savory dishes and sweet deserts. Hot steam rose off of the cream puffs that rested on a large silver plate, the scent filling the air. Elizabeth, however, ignored it and her now green eyes darted around the large room. She took in the location of the windows in the back that faced the busy street and the second floor balcony that led elsewhere, presumably deeper into the palace. If there was one thing she had learned from Jack and Barbossa, it was to look for exits upon entering a room. Her sharp eyes also noted the hidden door behind the King's heavily laden dinner table, spotting the smooth lines of doors in the painting that was painted directly on the rear wall. She already correctly suspected this is where the King would enter the room.

Ciel turned to his aunt and Grell. "Stand there and don't say anything. When the King comes in, bow. And above all, remain calm."

The two bid as they were told, although they both seemed a tad nervous.

Soon the doors behind the dinner table opened and lines of smartly dressed Royal Guards flowed in, their muskets held in their hands and resting on their shoulders. They were dressed in blood red jackets with gold and black trim, white knee pants, white stocking and black buckled shoes. Matching tricorns were perched on their heads. They all sported blank faces and stared straight ahead once they took up their positions in the room. Soon afterwards King George II and his advisors entered the room. The King was an immense man with double chins and he moved slowly towards his throne-like chair behind the feast filled table, finally seating himself with a sigh. As last time, Prime Minister Henry Pelham and Lord John Carteret accompanied the King, both men lean and of a normal weight. They were all dressed in fine brocades as their station demanded, their clothes covered in rich embroidery and brilliant colors. Powdered wigs covered their heads.

Ciel bowed to the King politely, the others following suit. "Your Majesty, I have returned as you had requested yesterday."

"Lord Phantomhive, you and your family have always served me well and I am sure you will continue to do so." The King's dark eyes shifted to Elizabeth then, taking in her manner of dress and how she stood proudly, her head held high. "So you are the King of the Pirates?"

"I am." Elizabeth replied firmly, her eyes unwavering as she gazed with confidence at the King of England.

"Your father, Weatherby, had always served me well. He had been a friend as well as a loyal servant. It is why I had appointed him Governor of Jamaica. I admit I am surprised to learn that his daughter is the King of the Pirates." The King leaned forward slightly as he studied her with interest. He then pulled forth a folded leather packet and set it on the table where it could be seen. "But I am sure we can come to an agreement. Lord Beckett's report, before his unfortunate demise, said you were fair and willing to come to an agreement."

"What is it that you want?" She asked, already guessing that the folded leather packet was Letters of Marque, as she had seen them before.

"I understand as King of the Pirates you have the authority to order other pirates to do things. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's true." Elizabeth replied, a bit surprised at the unexpected words. She knew she had that authority during the Brethren Court but she wasn't sure if it was still in fact in effect.

"There is one particular pirate that has been a pebble in my shoe these last few months." The King scowled unhappily. The King thumped his fat fist on the table several times, causing the plates of food to jump. With the agitation, the King's face took on a reddish cast as well. "He refuses to accept my authority as King even though he is a British citizen!"

"Your Majesty," Lord John interrupted with a frown of obvious disgust as he bent forward to talk into the King's ear. "There is no need to deal with these disgusting pirates! They all should be hung!"

"Now, now Lord John," The King said without turning to look at the thinner man. "We need these pirates. They are the only ones who know where certain places are."

"It is foolishness!" Lord John insisted but straightened up with a scowl.

"It is not foolishness. As King I get to make the decisions and I need that pirate to cooperate!" The King turned his head to glare at his advisor.

"He listens to no one." Lord John remarked sourly. "Your Majesty, I beg you to let this matter go. It is not worth the trouble."

Ciel and Sebastian exchanged glances, both equally confused by the exchange.

"Exactly which pirate are you referring to?" Elizabeth asked as an odd feeling grew in her stomach. The previous scene of the marines running about outside earlier in a wild stir was so familiar and it reminded her of Jack. Only he could create such a big fuss and then vanish from sight.

The King turned his attention back to Elizabeth. "Jack Sparrow is back in London."

"Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow." Elizabeth quickly corrected.

"Yes, yes, whatever." The King waved his plump hand. "He was just recently spotted and then vanished from sight! You will find Sparrow and then order him to cooperate as his King. Surely he must listen to you."

"What is it that you want from Jack?" She asked with curiosity.

"I want him to lead an expedition to the Fountain of Youth!" The King proclaimed in annoyance, his mouth turning down at the corners.

"The Fountain of Youth?" Ciel asked, shocked beyond words.

"Yes." The King reaffirmed. "I sent a ship out many months ago, the HMS Providence captained by Barbossa and my best men."

"Hector Barbossa?" Elizabeth asked, truly surprised by the unexpected words.

"Yes. I gave him a full pardon and made him a captain in the Royal Navy. It seems we are short on experienced officers suddenly who have the gift for command and that can handle, how should we say it, unusual locations…" The King poured several measures of rich red wine into a crystal goblet and drank it down. "Nether less the ship has not returned and there has been no news at all. And my sources say the three ships the Spanish have sent have not returned either. I cannot have the Spanish claim the Fountain, I just cannot! It would be a nightmare if the Spanish Monarch would live forever!"

"And it seems," Lord John said with utter disgust. "That Jack Sparrow is the only one who knows the way to the Fountain."

"I will offer you a full pardon, of course." The King said as he indicated the leather bundle that rested on the table. "As well as your father's lands here in England as well as the property in Jamaica, including the manor home you grew up in."

Elizabeth smiled, knowing she had won just as she had expected. She had no idea where the Fountain of Youth was, but she knew the King had desired something insane and so why not the legendary Fountain? Sao Feng's rare circular map came to mind and she was sure the Fountain was one of the routes on it. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best to get Jack to cooperate."

"Lord Phantomhive," The King called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Ciel said as he stepped forward.

"You will help Miss Swann find Sparrow. Offer Mr. Sparrow whatever he desires, within reason of course, to encourage him to cooperate. Once his help is acquired, you will sail to the Fountain and claim it for our country."

Ciel's single blue eye widened in shock. "Me?"

"Yes, I need someone I can trust. You seem to handle unusual situations with ease, like when you solved those nasty murders and that other case about those hounds. I have heard rumors that the Fountain is a similar type place, unnatural and very rare. We cannot allow it to fall into the hands of others."

"As you wish, Sire." Ciel conceded but still looking very surprised.

"It is possible Sparrow might insist on using his own ship. If not, I will provide one and a crew but the man is very particular."

Ciel nodded his understanding.

"Admiral Norrington," The King said next as he shifted his gaze onto the neatly dressed naval officers in the room. "Your performance has always been exemplarily out in the Caribbean. You shall command the expedition with your officers, but remember we need Sparrow to cooperate."

James was startled that the King even knew who he was, but then he was sure the ruler had intelligence that told him these things. "Yes, your Majesty."

The King handed Elizabeth the Letters of Marque and soon after that sent them on their way. The group returned to the courtyard where their carriage was waiting.

"The Fountain of Youth?" Ciel said in a somewhat annoyed voice. "Where in the world is that? Is it even real?"

"I am afraid I am uncertain, Bocchan." Sebastian replied in a soft voice. "I am mostly familiar with things here in Europe and Africa, mainly Egypt and the areas around there. I, of course, have heard the stories but cannot say if they are real or not. The legends, however, say that the Fountain is in the New World somewhere. But I was unaware that the King has decided to chase after the supernatural or was aware that it was real. I wonder if he has noticed that you have stopped aging as well…"

"Well, he hasn't said anything."

"Jack has the map…" Elizabeth added as she recalled the circular map with the moving parts that pointed to areas not of this world. "But Jack could be anywhere. And he can vanish so easily…I really don't see how we'll ever find him."

"By looking in the seediest pubs no doubt…" James said with obvious disgust.

TBC…


	4. Captain Jack Sparrow

Jack Sparrow 4

Jack Sparrow was indeed in London, along with his ever loyal first mate Mr. Gibbs. It had been a long trip across the Atlantic as he followed the pointing arrow on his magic compass. Supposedly it was leading him to the thing that could restore the Pearl to her proper state. He just had no idea what that thing could be.

"How much farther is it, Jack?" Mr. Gibbs asked as he sat for a moment on a short wall resting his tired feet from walking. They had walked all morning following the compass without getting any closer. The heavy sack of the other ships in bottles sat at his feet. "And will we ever get her out of that bottle?"

"Of course we will, mate! You need to have confidence!" Jack reached up and readjusted the heavy wig of long grey curls he was wearing. He had been forced to use a disguise when a few marines had spotted him the other day. He had been sure by now the King would have forgotten all about that thing with the cream puff and the broken window, but apparently not. He then fiddled with the stolen judge's robe he had once again liberated for his own use and left the helpless imbecile tied up and stuffed in a broom closet. He suspected no one would find the man for hours. The disguise would allow him to move about freely.

"But it's dark magic!" Mr. Gibbs hissed in a fearful whisper. "I don't see how anyone could get her out. And if someone does know such magic, why would they help us?"

"It all comes down to leverage." Jack said as he turned, spotting an unguarded empty carriage across the way. "Let's help ourselves to that mode of transportation that suits my new status better than walking."

"Aye, Captain." Mr. Gibbs headed towards the carriage and held the door open for his captain. Jack climbed in and the door was shut. Then Mr. Gibbs climbed up onto the driver's perch in the front, grabbed the reins and started the horses going.

Jack studied the compass and saw the arrow was pointing in the exact direction he didn't really want to go: towards Saint James Palace. He stuck his tongue out in utter disgust. "Why can't these things ever go smoothly?"

"Which way?" Mr. Gibbs called.

"Towards the Palace…" Jack answered. "Just act like we belong…nothing wrong with driving past."

000

"But really, Jack could be anywhere." Elizabeth pointed out from where she sat in the carriage next to the window. "I don't see how we'd ever find him. And if the marines are searching for him, then he'll be even harder to find. He may not even be in London any longer."

"I've been chasing that man for years…" James said as he seated himself in the carriage next to Elizabeth. "He is incredibly difficult to catch unless you're lucky."

"He's the best pirate I've ever seen." Theo agreed as he sat next to James.

"There's nothing Sebastian can't do." Ciel said with confidence from where he sat on the other side of the carriage, between Madame Red and Andrew. "I'm sure he can find one pirate."

James snorted. "You don't know Sparrow."

Sebastian had been clever enough to pull one of the wanted posters off of a nearby post before climbing up in the driver's seat next to Grell, showing him the poster.

"Reward of 10,001 guineas for the capture of Jack Sparrow, pirate, hmmmm." Grell read aloud as he studied the drawing of the man pictured. He had dark hair in dreadlocks, a bandana wrapped about his head, black kohl around his eyes, a large nose, a thin mustache and two braids of thin hair hanging from his chin. The picture was in black and white so he was unsure what color the bandana was supposed to be. "Well, I've never seen him. But you're not really going on some sea trip, are you Sebas-chan? Tell me that you're not! I know Will won't ever let me go and I can't stand the idea of you being gone for months on end!"

"I must do as Ciel orders via the contract, Grell. You know that. The King has ordered him to go on this new mission so I must go." Sebastian studied the image, knowing that even with his powers it would be difficult to find one man in all of London.

"I won't lose you!" Grell threw his arms about Sebastian's waist and pressed his head against the demon's chest. His long brown hair trailed down his back held in place by the bright red bow.

The demon sighed. He supposed he should just be pleased that the meeting had gone well and that Grell had controlled himself through it. "You won't lose me, Grell. Now please control yourself. People are watching."

The reaper sat up on the seat properly, sighing. The thing is he didn't care if people watched. And who were they anyway, some Royal Guards? They were just mortals; unimportant in his eyes. But this was supposed to be his disguise really and he supposed it was odd for one butler to hug another. Oh well. It wouldn't be the first time he had blundered and it wouldn't be the last, either.

The carriage moved forward under the demon's skilled hand and Grell allowed his eyes to drift over the crowded street. He hoped it would take his mind off of the coming separation. Dirty kids raced about and a few fought a mock battle with wooden swords. A few other carriages rumbled past and Sebastian waited for an opening to move out into the street from the driveway of Saint James Palace. For some reason the street seemed to be extra busy this day and it seemed a traffic jam was forming ahead of them. Another carriage rumbled past, driven by a plump man without even a proper butler's outfit – he only wore a white shirt and a dark vest – and the demon pulled right behind him.

"Now what's going on? The Young Master won't like it if we're delayed." Sebastian said unhappily, his voice sounding a tad weary.

Grell stood up to see what was going on and spotted a thick clump of scarlet far ahead. "It looks like the Royal Guards are searching the carriages…"

"How ridiculous!" The demon snorted. "No wonder these humans can't find the pirate. Do they actually think he'd be hiding inside of one of these carriages?"

"Hmmmm?" Grell then noticed the driver of the carriage right in front of them jumped down off of the driver's perch and hurried to the carriage's door. He appeared to whisper words to the occupant, perhaps explaining the unexpected delay. A hand emerged from the window, multiple rings flashing in the sunlight, as the person waved the driver off. The driver who sported thick muttonchops appeared startled but returned to his position at the front of the carriage.

000

Inside the carriage, Jack muttered at Mr. Gibbs' incompetence. What did he care if the Royal Guards were checking carriages? He was the Honorable Smith, was he not? They hadn't seen through his disguise months ago and they wouldn't now. Simply put, the marines and Royal Guard were as dumb as bricks.

He pulled out his compass and opened it, checking to see if the needle was still pointing towards the Palace. But to his utter surprise he saw it had moved!

It now pointed directly behind him.

"Interesting. So I take this means I'm looking for a person, maybe one with powers like Tia Dalma used to have. But tis a funny place to find an experienced magic-user. The swamps are more to their liking than a crowded, noisy city." Jack turned in the seat and peered out the rear window of the carriage. Most of the view was blocked by two black horses but he could just make out the two drivers sitting on top of the front perch. His expert kohl-rimmed eyes were able to easily pick out the smallest details without problem, even from the bad angle he found himself at.

The first man was tall and thin, wearing a fancy suit that showed he was a high class butler of some important lord. Silver buttons flashed on his clothing and he easily picked out the chain from a pocket watch. He had pale skin, red eyes the color of old dried blood and a somewhat blank expression. The other man was thin as well and had his dark hair pulled back and apparently tied neatly behind his head. He wore glasses and a dark coat but no tempting silver sparkled as it did on the first man's clothes.

Sparrow shivered violently and forced his eyes away, quickly turning and sitting the proper way in the carriage for he had seen enough.

Neither of the men was human.

That he would bet his Pearl on.

He had met enough inhuman creatures to know them when he saw them and both gave off the otherworldly vibes. The one with the glasses had the same vibrations as Elizabeth had. And the other, the one with the red eyes, well, he had darkness oozing out of his pores. Even Jones at his worst didn't have such a black aura. But Jack knew from years of experience with such creatures that humans just didn't notice these things at all. A human could sit right next to them and not see a thing. They would probably even think them handsome. He suspected that Elizabeth hadn't known what she was and he hadn't offered to inform her, either. But it was always good to stay on said creatures' good sides.

"I'm not sure I like this turn of events…" Jack frowned, checking his compass again but it still pointed directly behind him. It had led him right over to a pair of creatures! "That one looks like he'd be happy to gulp me down for a meal…"

000

Sebastian had noticed the occupant of the carriage in front of them spying on them for a moment before returning to his own business. It was very peculiar behavior for a wealthy noble to engage in. And had that been a whiff of fear he had smelt briefly? Of course, there were so many bold unwashed bodies around that it was difficult to smell anything. Even with the Royal Guards searching carriages there were masses of people passing by on foot, most not even paying attention to what was going on. This close to Saint James Palace it was a daily thing to see the Royal Guards.

The carriages moved forward and Sebastian watched as the Royal Guards approached the one with the nosey noble. He could just see the window curtain move a bit and the guard lean forward.

"Sorry about the delay, Honorable Smith." The Royal Guard quickly hastened to say as he nervously bowed. "But there's a notorious pirate on the loose and we're looking for him. Word is he might have stolen a carriage."

"Yes, I understand." The man replied clearly in a strong voice. "Pirates will steal anything not nailed down securely. Carry on. If I see any, I shall inform you or your fellows straight away."

000

"What is the delay?" Ciel asked as he grew annoyed. "I want to get home, not sit here in this loud dim with kids shrieking and some dolt trying to sell the newspaper!"

"I shall go clear this up. Excuse me." James stated firmly as he motioned for Theo to get out so he could climb out himself. Andrew quickly followed them.

Norrington moved forward towards the Royal Guards, his two lieutenants hot on his heels. "Guards!"

The Royal Guards paused in their conversation, spotting the Admiral for the first time. They quickly snapped to attention, glad that for the moment someone of higher rank was there to make decisions. "Admiral?"

"Earl Phantomhive is on important business. He does not have time to waste on this delay." James Norrington informed them. "We're going to move his carriage around the checkpoint."

The Royal Guards stared dumbly at him.

"Carry on with your duties." He ordered. Signaling to his two lieutenants that they should clear pedestrians out of the way, James moved to the head of the lead horse and gripped it by the bridal, slowly pulling it forward. The carriage inched forward until it was side by side with the one that contained the Honorable Smith. James guided it yet further forward until it was now partly ahead of the other carriage and that was when James' sharp eyes noticed the all-too-familiar driver of the judge's carriage, the portly one sporting gray muttonchops. His green-ringed eyes grew wide in surprise. "It's Mr. Gibbs! Sparrow must be in the other carriage!"

"What?" Grell asked, clearly confused as to what the sudden shouting was about.

Sebastian wasted no time leaping down from his perch after shoving the reins into Grell's hands. He was at the carriage's door in a flash and threw it open to see a man dressed in a judge's garb but who had thick black kohl around his eyes. The man, who looked suspiciously just like the wanted poster of the notorious pirate, squeaked in fear and tried to quickly scramble out the other door except the dumb Royal Guards were there blocking it without realizing it. Still, he shoved it open, knocking them to the ground and almost managed to jump out except Sebastian was faster. He reached in and caught Sparrow about his wrist, hauling him out.

"Jack Sparrow, is it?" Admiral Norrington said with a firm expression. "It's been some time since we've seen each other it seems."

"Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow." The pirate corrected a bit unhappily as he eyed Norrington in his admiral finery. "It's just rotten luck I had to run into you…"

"Oh, I would call it very good luck on my part." Norrington replied somewhat smugly.

"Jack!" A voice called.

The pirate turned to see none other than Elizabeth Swann hurrying in his direction. He put a big broad grin on his face and spread his arms wide, ignoring the fact that the creepy butler was still hanging onto his wrist. "Lizzy, darling! How very good to see you."

"Jack, we've been looking for you." Elizabeth skidded to a stop in front of him, noticing he had a new cut on the side of his forehead she had not seen before. "I could use your help with something. You'll be rewarded, of course."

"Seems like you or Turner always need my help…" Jack commented, his dark eyes shifting to Sebastian for a brief instant. "Very well, I will hear you out on the condition that no irons or cells are involved? Savvy?"

"Agreed!" Elizabeth quickly cried before James could say otherwise.

"Is this him?" Ciel asked as he came over to study the pirate for a moment. "Why is he dressed like a judge?"

"Because I am the Honorable Smith!"

"Sparrow is a master of disguise." James Norrington explained to the young earl. "He will impersonate almost anyone if he thinks he can get away with it. I even heard he was the judge at his own trial once."

"Huh? How could he do that?" Grell asked, confused.

"Because I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy? And I actually did it twice for your information."

"I will be sure to add it to your list of crimes." Norrington duly noted.

"James, the King said we're to get him to cooperate. He won't do that if you're hostile to him." Elizabeth squeezed herself between Jack and James, the two clearly not getting along at all.

"We get along just fine. I know he's a rum-pot deckhand that takes orders from pirates. We're all alike really. It's just that some of us don't like being truthful."

James' face darkened at the words.

"We need to get moving." Ciel ordered. "We can continue this conversation back at the manor."

Jack and Mr. Gibbs ended up riding in the stolen carriage with the Navy men, Grell driving.

000

Jack swaggered around the beautiful dining room of Phantomhive Manor, eying everything in sight as he followed his host. His disguise had been tossed aside in favor of his regular pirate outfit of white shirt, dark waistcoat, pants, the cloth tied about his waist and the red bandana around his head. It wasn't often that he was invited into a fine manor house like this and he intended to enjoy his stay. Mr. Gibbs, as loyal as ever, was still following him and carrying the big sack of bottles on his shoulder. To the pirate's surprise, the sour and uptight admiral had not even demanded to see what was in the bag. He followed them up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway unto what was the billiards room.

"We shall have our discussion here." Ciel said as he seated himself on a fine expensive looking chair. "As you may or may not know, I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive. The King has ordered me to go on an expedition and you are to help. In those regards, I have been instructed to give you what you desire so you will cooperate."

Jack grimaced, sticking an incredibly wide tongue out in obvious distaste. "That sounds vaguely familiar. Is that Royal Hiney still on about that bloody Fountain?"

Ciel's single blue eye widened as he leaned forward in his chair, clearly eager to hear what the pirate would say. "So do you know where it is?"

"Of course I do, mate! I just bloody came from there! Why the heck would I want to go back? I don't particularly want to get ate…"

"Ate?" Madame Red asked with curiosity from where she sat on another expensive chair near her darling nephew. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean mermaids." The pirate explained as he idly ran his hand along the pool table, caressing the smooth wood at the table's edge. "They're worst than sharks. They grab a man off of a ship and drag him down into the cold sea where he'll be torn apart."

"So the Fountain is real then?" Ciel asked as he settled back in his chair, his fingers clasped together. "Have you actually seen it?"

"Of course I have. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?"

The door opened then and Sebastian wheeled a cart in with refreshments. He quickly handed out cups of tea to everyone and little plates of scones, cookies and perfectly cut tea sandwiches. He set a cup and plate of snacks down near the pirate and offered the same to Mr. Gibbs, who looked astonished and was quick to thank him. The demon smiled sweetly, which didn't fool Jack at all as it did his first mate.

"What of a full pardon from the King?" Ciel asked as he took a sip of his tea, watching the pirate as he moved about the room. Sebastian had taken up his usual station behind his chair, waiting for the slightest command. Grell was standing behind Madame Red's chair while Norrington hovered near the door blocking it with his body.

"I refuse to be bought for such a cheap price. If you're not serious about this, then I'll be on me way." Jack paused, lifting the cup of tea and drinking it in one swallow. He then pulled out a bottle of rum from on his person and took a big gulp. "And I prefer rum, mate, not this weak stuff from leaves."

"So what do you want, money?" Ciel asked as he tried to guess what the man might want.

"Jack," Elizabeth said as she stepped closer to him in her black and ivory Singapore outfit, her reddish-gold hair trailing over her shoulders. "I'm your King, remember? You have to listen to me."

"Lizzie, dear," Jack said as he waved his fingers about in the air, leaning forward slightly and with the rum bottle in the other hand. "I hate to break this to you, but you were King. The Brethren Court is over. All of the pirate lords went home, except for me who is stuck here in London Town when I should be on a beach in the Caribbean. I am, after all, the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean. And dear old Hector is no doubt taking over my territory at this very moment, the back-stabbing mutinous first mate: may he be infested with termites!"

"Did you lose your ship again?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, I have me ship." Jack replied and then took another swallow of rum. "The Pearl is just fine more or less."

"Jack, take me to the Fountain." She ordered.

"Lizzie, dear, you don't need the Fountain. You're beautiful just the way you are." The pirate replied as he shook the rum bottle and then peered within. He held it up high and watched as a few lone drops dripped out. "Why is the rum always gone?"

Ciel sighed. "Sebastian, do we have any rum in the wine cellar?"

"I shall go check, My Lord." The demon butler bowed and then quickly exited, the door gently clicking shut behind him.

"Jack, listen to me." Elizabeth tried again. "I don't want the Fountain for myself; we just want to claim it for our King and country."

The pirate carelessly deposited the empty rum bottle in the nearest potted plant. "It's a total waste of time I tell you."

"Look, I know what you really want Jack…"

The Pirate Lord of the Caribbean turned to face her with a dark expression. "Just because you know what I want doesn't mean you have it to offer…"

"Oh but I do!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she grinned in triumph. "Immortality! You've been chasing after it all of these years and I found it, here. Just think, you'll never grow old…"

Jack opened his mouth to say she was making that up but he closed it again. He knew, always knew, that Elizabeth wasn't exactly human since the day he had met her. She had possessed a strangeness about her person and he now noted that the aura around her was more powerful than ever. And when had she started to wear glasses? His dark eyes flickered about the room and he noticed that Norrington was wearing them, too. And so were his two lieutenants. In fact, all of them possessed that same field of energy about them as that too-innocent looking butler standing behind the woman's chair.

Yes, the man looked way too innocent. Turner had looked dumb and innocent and had whammed him in the head with an oar.

Concerned about his silence, Elizabeth stepped closer. "Jack?"

"There's no tentacles involved, is there? I don't like tentacles…" He finally replied, uncertainty eating at him.

"No, of course not. You just drink a potion and become a grim reaper. You'll be trained and then you just go around and collect the souls of those dying. It's very similar to what the Dutchman does actually."

The door opened again and Sebastian entered. He smoothly moved across the room, a silver tray balanced on one palm and held it out before the pirate. Several bottles of rum rested upon the tray and the pirate took one of the offered drinks. Pulling the cork out, he took a hearty swallow. The drink burned on the way down and he was pleased. "Thanks, mate."

The butler set the tray down near the pirate and took a few steps back.

"Jack, I'd like you to meet my real parents." Elizabeth said as she held out a hand to the creepy butler with the dark red eyes. "This is my real father, Sebastian."

The demon held a white gloved hand over his heart and bowed slightly from the waist. "Sebastian Michaelis."

Jack eyed the butler. "Exactly what are you, mate?"

"I am merely one hell of a butler." Sebastian replied as a smile teased his lips.

"I've seen enough creatures to know you're not human, mate." The pirate explained and got his confirmation when he saw the man's eyes glow a fiery red as if embers danced inside them. If anything, the butler looked startled.

"I am a demon." Sebastian finally replied after a moment of silence. "I never encountered anyone who could see through my disguise before. You are a rare person, Jack Sparrow. Would you be interested in signing a contract with us?"

"It's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack corrected as he felt the demon's hungry eyes gazing at him with interest. He had duly noted the word "us" and realized that the young Earl was a demon as well. "Just as ye know, my soul is worth one hundred souls…"

Elizabeth hurried over to where Madam Red was sitting and grabbed Grell by his wrist, pulling him out from where he was standing behind Madam's chair. The shy man appeared startled with her actions and he stumbled but quickly caught his balance. He meekly allowed himself to be dragged forward until he was beside the demon. Up close, he had large green eyes, dark brown hair pulled back from his face except for a few long strands that hung down across his face and wore plain eyeglasses. He looked rather feminine and had an innocent look about him, but that same aura of death clung to him.

"And this is my mother, Grell." Elizabeth informed him with a smile.

Grell grinned then, revealing pointed shark-like teeth. "Since my darling Sebas-chan has revealed himself, I shall show you my true self."

The teeth shocked Jack, as they were so unexpected. Even the mermaids hadn't had teeth like those.

The pirate watched silently as Grell pulled the brilliant red fabric from his hair and stuffed it into the pocket of his black jacket. Pulling out a hair comb, he ran it through his long length of hair and as the comb passed the hair turned the most brilliant shade of red. Finally his plain eyeglasses were replaced by a red-framed pair, a tiny pair of skulls dancing on the eyeglass chain near the frames. The plain glasses safe in his pocket, he switched the white butler gloves for his black ones. Grell spun about on one foot, making a complete circle easily while his untamed locks flew outward. Grinning again, he made the "I Love You" sign with his fingers. "Grell Sutcliff, Death!"

"Well, that explains Elizabeth's unique ability…" Jack commented darkly as he recalled the kiss that had lead to his death. Maybe accepting Elizabeth's offer of becoming immortal was a good idea? Or perhaps it was a bad idea? "Question: What happens if you become a reaper and get swallowed whole by a kraken? Are you going to be stuck forever in its gut, alive and unable to die?"

"Jack…" Elizabeth sighed.

"It's an important question!" The pirate insisted.

"Jack, the kraken is dead…" Elizabeth reminded him. "Its carcass was on that island, remember?"

"Yes, that one is dead. What about its hungry kin?" Jack took another swig of the rum. He was very satisfied with the rum, as it was clearly one of the better brands and not the weaker stuff that some places often sold. The little runt earl no doubt bought the best of everything. The manor alone testified to that.

"I've never been swallowed by anything so I cannot honestly say what would happen…" Grell admitted while giving the pirate an odd look.

"It might interest you," Sebastian added. "That as a grim reaper you would be immune to the noose. You could be hung, but it would not affect you. I believe the only thing that could kill you would be a death scythe."

"Interesting." Jack's dark eyes shot past the demon and the two reapers to where Norrington and his men were guarding the door. He noted that the admiral had a dark, unhappy expression on his face; no doubt hating the fact that he had just been offered immortality. "Very well, Lizzy, I accept your fine offer and shall guide you to the Fountain on a few conditions."

Hearing that the pirate was finally cooperating, Ciel got up from his seat and came over to hear what they would be.

"One, you must provide me this magic potion to make me immortal and then you must prove that it is so. As a pirate and the Pirate King no less, you could slip me worthless water so I will insist on proof. Second, if we go it will be on my beloved Pearl and no other. I am the Captain and therefore I will be in charge. I will not have that overstuffed peacock giving orders on me ship!" Jack sent a look Norrington's way so the man would know he meant him. "Thirdly, we will need supplies and a crew. Mr. Gibbs, my first mate, will take care of it. But most important of all is to get my ship out of this blasted bottle!" Jack reached into a little cloth sack hanging on his person and pulled out the glass bottle. Inside that bottle the gray sea tossed and bolts of lightning licked the storm filled sky. The Black Pearl rode the waves, the canvas sails shaking in the stiff wind. The undead monkey spotted them and swung out towards the glass, its mouth open in a silent scream.

Everyone in the room gawked in shock at the Pearl inside the bottle. It was the last thing anyone ever expected.

"Jack, how in the world did the Pearl get like this?" Elizabeth stared at the familiar ship with the black hull and the black sails inside the glass bottle. "What happened to her?"

"Blackbeard happened." Jack simply said without offering further explanation. The pirate was confident that his magic compass had led him in the correct direction and that someone here would restore his ship to its proper state. He didn't want to appear too eager, though. So what if it took a demon? Normally he would stay far away from such creatures but in this case he would chance it. "So can you fix the Pearl or not?"

Sebastian smiled and held out his white gloved hands. "Of course. It is a simple matter. What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't get a ship out of a bottle?"

"She needs deep water, mate."

"I am aware of that, Captain." The demon butler reassured.

"Show Captain Sparrow and Mr. Gibbs to a guest room, Sebastian." Ciel ordered. "I suspect it will take time to arrange everything?"

"O'course, mate." Jack moved forward slowly, arms held in the air as he was wont to do. He approached Ciel and bent down to better look him in the single blue eye. "Supplies, mate. You don't want to go to sea without supplies. It's many a long fortnight between here and the Caribbean. Ya know, you look like a pirate already with that patch on yer eye."

Then to add injury to insult, he mussed Ciel's blue-black hair upon straightening. The once perfectly smooth locks were now in wild disarray.

"Hey!" Ciel cried in annoyance.

Madame Red hurried over to her nephew and started fussing over him. "Please don't touch my nephew."

Jack eyed her for a moment. "Pirate."

"Well that is no excuse to behave that way."

"I behaves as I like." Jack shrugged and half turned to eye his first mate. "Mr. Gibbs! Step lively there and bring that rum! If we don't liberate it now, dear Lizzie will burn it as it is "the vilest drink that turns the most respectable men into complete scoundrels" but I need it to think clearly."

Mr. Gibbs leaped to his feet and carefully put the bulging sack over his shoulder, the cloth bag making loud clinking noises like glass. Then he swept the rum bottles up into his arms and hurried to follow Jack. "Aye, Captain!"

The two pirates followed the demon to their temporary guest room. Upon reaching the room, Jack paused and then gave the bottle to the demon.

000

"You know," Grell said as he tapped a finger on his chin. "I don't think we have any more of those potions and I doubt if Will would give me another."

"Well, were does he keep them?" Elizabeth asked her mother.

"In his office, but they're in a locked cabinet. Besides, he's almost always in there. He's a workaholic with no social life." Grell frowned unhappily. "It seems our plan will fail before it even starts."

"Well, we'll just steal one." Elizabeth stated calmly. "It's time we head there anyway for the training."

Grell gathered the other new Shinigami and then opened a portal to the Shinigami Realm. They all jumped through leaving Ciel and Madame Red the only ones in the billiards room.

000

"Jack! They're demons, fiends from the pit!" Mr. Gibbs hissed fearfully once the demon butler had left them alone in the room. "How can you trust them and with the Pearl no less?"

"It's who the compass led us to, believe it or not." Jack explained as he set the now empty rum bottle down on a table. He stumbled then, both hands going to his head. His face scrunched up in pain and his mouth grimaced, the skin around his lips going white.

"Is it happening again? What's wrong with ye Jack?" Mr. Gibbs said with worry in his eyes and plain in his voice. "Maybe ye should see a doctor?"

"No, no mate." Jack waved the idea off as he sunk down onto the nearby canopy bed, one hand still on his head. "A doctor won't help with this. Maybe that potion might; don't rightly know."

"Should you be drinking with your head in that state?"

"It's nothing to do with drink. It's to do with anger and revenge, even if I did the right thing." Jack sighed with relief as the sudden pain finally went away. "See? The pain has passed."

Jack's pain may have gone away but Mr. Gibb's worry did not. Standing still, he watched as Jack stretched out on the bed and soon started to snore. Then he cracked open the door and stepped out into the silent hallway.

TBC…


	5. Creating a Diversion

Jack Sparrow 5

"You're late." William T. Spears stated the moment they walked into the office. He didn't even give Grell time to do his customary wave to his co-workers as if he were a famous celebrity. Instead Spears checked his watch, his frown growing more severe. "Late by several hours, in fact. That is not the way to start a new career as a grim reaper."

"But William," Grell exclaimed as he flounced into the office in his bright red and black heeled boots, a trail of perfume hanging in his wake. "We had things to do and they just could not wait."

Spears pushed his glasses higher on his nose with the tip of his hedge trimmer death scythe. "Nothing is more important than being punctual and on time. None the less, you are here and you will begin the training. Since the lot of you insist on associating with demons due to Sutcliff's lack of common sense…"

"Hey!" Grell cried unhappily. "Sebas-chan and I are married!"

"As I said, lack of common sense, you will spend the day reading about demons. I have the appropriate text books right here." Spears motioned to a stack of books that sat on the corner of a desk. "There are empty desks here in the office. Go and pick one out and read. When you're finished I expect a report on what you read."

"What assignment do I get?" Grell asked, dreaming of the excitement of running across rooftops to collect souls. If he were lucky, he would get to spy on some truly exciting cinematic records.

"The same." Spears stated as he shoved a demon textbook at the redhead.

"That's not fair!" Grell exclaimed angrily. "You're just jealous!"

Spears swung his death scythe and hit Grell across the top of his head. "It's against the rules to associate with demons. They are the enemy! They steal the souls we are to collect. The only reason you didn't get fired is because those two particular rodents behave themselves. Who even knows what they actually eat?"

"Ow!" Grell cried as he was dragged by his hair over to his desk and shoved into the chair.

When Spears turned around, he found a pistol in his face. But instead of getting scared or even shocked, he calmly adjusted his glasses with a black gloved hand.

"Don't treat my mother like that." Elizabeth threatened, her hand steady and her gaze unwavering. The gun's tip was just a few inches from his face and was aimed at the center of his forehead. She had changed out of the Singapore outfit for her pirate one of white shirt and dark vest that closely resembled what the other reapers wore. She hadn't bothered with a jacket and so far no one had said anything about that.

"At least you have the mettle to be a dispatch officer, it seems. It can often be bloody work and the majority of females are not capable of handling it. That pistol, by the way, is against regulation." Spears then held his hand out for the illegal weapon. "Please hand it over and I shall overlook this action. As for Sutcliff, perhaps you could convince him to actually do his work instead of slacking off, taking unscheduled vacations whenever he desires and being late."

Elizabeth seemed to consider his words for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face and then she surrendered the pistol.

Spears grimaced at the pistol in his hand. "Revolting. I will apparently have to make a new rule against bringing firearms to work…"

Elizabeth claimed the empty desk next to her mother's and watched the sour man strode away, taking her pistol with him. He disappeared through a doorway that she knew from the previous day led to a hallway and his private office. She glanced at the book for a moment, thinking its dull cover looked uninspiring. If her new supervisor had picked it out, it would probably be as exciting as reading a dictionary. She then glanced towards James, seeing he still had his pistol: the slight bulge under his frock coat giving it away. She seriously doubted if he would surrender his if asked as he would feel naked without it for it was just as much of his uniform as his cloths and officer's sword.

A head of thick blonde hair leaped in front of her without warning, giving her a fright. Well, most of the hair was blonde except for the dark black near his ears. Ronald seemed very excited, his green eyes wide and he was hopping around a bit as if he couldn't stand still. "Don't worry about Grell-senpai. William rarely hurts her badly…but wow, you really stood up to him! I can't believe you stuck that pistol right in his face!"

"A show of force is often the only thing some people understand." Elizabeth replied as she opened the book and flipped to the first page of text.

"Aaahh, but now you lost your pistol!" Ronald laughed as he leaned over her desk.

"But who said I only had one?" She replied without looking at him.

"Ahahahaha!" Ronald laughed and fell onto the floor. "William-senpai was tricked by a recruit!"

Elizabeth watched for a moment as the blonde Shinigami picked himself off of the floor and went back to his desk, his fingers flying over a strange device that made clicking sounds. The Pirate King had never seen a typewriter before so had no idea what it was. Things up in the Shinigami Realm were more advanced than they were down in the mortal realm, so she would have to adjust. They also possessed modern lighting in the office instead of candles, something which she had gawked at when first sighted but then had dismissed as non-important.

The redhead sat at his desk and stared at the demon book unhappily. It seemed William forced him to read the dumb thing yearly and he was tired of reading it. Couldn't he at least read a different book on demons or was Will so dull he never even bought new books? He opened it and scanned the opening paragraph, but his mind started to think of other things. Sebastian would soon be leaving on that black ship and apparently his daughter would be going with him. That would leave him all alone, a thought he couldn't stand. He knew it would take months just to cross the Atlantic and then however long it took to reach this Fountain…Why, it could be a year before they returned!

He reached across the short distance between their desks and grabbed her hand. "Tell me you're not going on that trip! I don't want to lose you so soon!"

She could hear his voice cracking and see the tears threatening to spill from his green-yellow eyes. "I really don't know what I'm going to do…"

"I know Will won't ever let me go and if I do it on my own, he'd fire me when I come back…" Grell slumped over his desk, his long hair hanging loosely around him. "He excuses little vacations but that would take months. He'd drag me before the Council I'm sure…"

"We'll think of something." She promised her mother, patting his hand to comfort him but couldn't see a way around it. She knew Jack could probably figure it out, as he was brilliant at that sort of thing. He planned things way out in advance or that's what she thought he did.

"What is it like out there?" He asked, turning his head so he could look at her.

"It's hot, a lot hotter than here. And the sun is always bright. The sea is a beautiful shade of blue-green and the palm trees wave in the wind." Elizabeth called to mind the vibrant colors of the Caribbean. "London is a washed out gray in comparison. But it's wild out there. There are pirates, rum runners and all sorts of low-lives. And it's cursed. It seems there are monsters on every isle or under the waves just ready to grab you, everything from cursed Aztec gold to the kraken that Jack mentioned. I saw the kraken, by the way. It grabbed me by my ankle and was dragging me across the floorboards of the Pearl. Then Pintel and Ragetti, two pirates, saved me. They used an axe to cut the tip of the tentacle off so I could escape. Soon after that the Kraken dragged the Pearl under the waves but we later got her back."

Elizabeth noticed she had an audience besides Grell. Her mother seemed transfixed by the tale and was sitting up, fascinated. But the other reapers had gathered around her table as well: Eric, Alan and Ronald.

Eric had a crooked smile on his face. "You're making that up. A thing like that doesn't exist. Big enough to drag a ship under? What was it, a longboat?"

"A three-masted frigate." She honestly replied.

Eric laughed and waved a hand in dismissal. "Nothing is that big. You're telling us a tall tale. More than likely you want attention just like your mother does."

"It's real and I saw it!"

Alan leaned on Grell's desk, apparently unsure what to believe. He appeared a bit apprehensive at the idea. "You're just trying to scare us, right? Eric-senpai must be correct, I mean, something that big couldn't possibly be real…"

Her expression firm, Elizabeth stood and easily propped her foot up onto the desk. Rolling up her pant leg, she revealed a dark red angry circle on her otherwise pale skin. It was large in diameter and perfectly circular, the skin puffy and enflamed looking. "Explain that then."

Alan gasped in horror and almost fell over, Eric racing to catch him just in time. The sick man turned paler than normal and coughed several times as he clung to the edge of Grell's desk so he wouldn't fall.

"Eeeww, that's nasty looking!" Ronald exclaimed with a scowl on his face but yet came closer to peer at it with curiosity. "Does it hurt?"

"No…"

"We have to do something about this…" Eric insisted as he continued to hold Alan on his feet. "There must be some treatment, some cure! You're getting worst and the attacks more frequent."

"I'm all right…" Alan insisted as he got hold of himself, standing on his own feet once again. "I was just startled. As long as I don't exert myself too much, than I don't get the awful pains in my chest from the thorns. Besides, there is no cure."

"No one ever had the Thorns of Death before," Grell stated as he looked at his two co-workers. "So there is no known cure. The disease itself was only a myth until Alan caught it. No Shinigami on record ever had it before…"

"There must be something, anything!" Eric insisted hotly, his voice wavering. "We're immortal, yet it's clear this disease is killing him! I can't just stand by and watch! It's too painful."

Elizabeth rolled down her pant leg, feeling bad that she had caused Alan pain without meaning to. She just had wanted to prove her story had been real. But Eric's words and fierce devotion to his friend made her think of the people she had lost, the closest having been Weatherby Swann. He may not have been her biological father as she had believed all of those years, but he had still raised her and so he had been her father. It was hard to stop thinking of him that way. "I'm sorry if I caused you to grow ill. I never meant that."

"It's all right." Alan said with a weak smile on his face. "I'd like to hear more of your stories. It's different than the usual gossip that floats around this place, things we've heard a billion times. I could only dream of seeing such a place. It sounds pretty with the blue-green sea and the palm trees…"

"Yeah, the few paintings I've seen look nice…" Eric agreed as he cautiously stepped back from his ill friend, as if he expected him to fall over again. He then shifted his gaze to Elizabeth. "I don't suppose you know a cure for this, do you?"

"I only just learned of it today." She replied honestly. The last thing she wanted to do was give him false hope. Still, she thought of Jack. If anyone would know a cure she was sure it would be him. He had spent a lifetime chasing after rare magical treasure and she was sure that's what it would take to cure this unusual disease.

000

Mr. Gibbs was torn on what he should do. He didn't want to betray his captain but he was truly concerned about the nasty headaches Jack had been suffering of late. Long ago he had once known a different man who had suffered from a similar problem. The awful head pains had gone on for months, the pain growing worst and worst until one day he had died, blood shooting out of his mouth and nose. The consensus was some blood vessel in his head had burst. What if Jack had the same thing? He just couldn't imagine a world without his beloved captain, as losing him once had been bad enough and he might not get him back a second time. And so he stood in the hallway of Phantomhive Manor undecided. He eyed the nearby door to the billiards room, thinking he should ask for help. He was sure that the Earl had access to a doctor.

Just then the door to the billiards room opened and Ciel Phantomhive exited with Madame Red right behind him. Almost immediately they spotted him standing there like a lost puppy.

"Can I do something for you?" Ciel asked, forced to tilt his head back to see Mr. Gibbs face due to his shortness.

"Well, I rightly don't know…" Mr. Gibbs replied nervously as he wrung his hands together. "I don't want to imposition you, Earl, but Jack be ill and I was wondering if ye know a doctor? He be hiding it, but he's been suffering these nasty headaches for some time now."

"Actually, my aunt here is a medical doctor." Ciel replied smoothly as he pointed to Madame Red, a large ring flashing on his thumb.

Mr. Gibbs mouth dropped open in shock. "Yer a doctor? I never heard of a woman being of the medical sort! Are ye a midwife?"

"I'm an actual doctor, Mr. Gibbs, and I have performed many surgeries. I work at the London Hospital." She replied calmly as she studied him. "I'm not surprised that you're shocked, as you no doubt have been out in the Caribbean for many a long year and female surgeons are still rare. Although I'm a Baroness I must do something with my time so I help the sick."

The first mate bowed a bit clumsily. "I'd be real grateful if you'd look at Jack, although he might not cooperate. He's a bit touchy of such things."

"Well, we can't have him falling ill on us." Ciel stated with a frown. "He should be examined, even if he's going to be given the magic potion. Elizabeth and Grell need to acquire one first, so it won't be available until tonight at least."

Mr. Gibbs led the way back to the bedroom where Jack was sprawled across the canopy bed, one leg hanging off of the edge at the knee. His mouth was open as he snored. The strong odor of rum and unwashed body wafted off of him, causing the two titled individuals to frown with disgust.

"Does he ever bathe?" Ciel asked as he held a hand over his nose. Since he had become a demon it seemed his sense of smell had increased.

"Only when he falls into the sea or a river." Gibbs admitted. "The Captain's not big on personal hygiene."

Madame Red approached the sleeping pirate with some uncertainty and reached out towards him with a slender hand. Just as she was about to touch him, he bolted upright and stared at her with his dark eyes.

"What are ye doing, Missy?"

"I understand you're suffering from reoccurring headaches?" Madame Red asked as she stood her ground near him. "I'm a medical doctor and you're friend here is concerned."

"Ya can't help me no matter what fancy license ye might possess." Jack informed her with a frown, noting how Mr. Gibbs was trying to hide without success behind the pint-sized demon. "Me pain is not of the body."

"What ever do you mean?" The Baroness asked, confused. "Could you describe the pain? And where is it located, what part of your head? It may have a simple cause, like too much eye strain or the cavity behind the nose may be congested."

"I mean it's caused by voodoo!" Jack snorted in disgust. "It's that darn doll that Blackbeard made of me! That zombie said some mumbo-jumbo and threw it off a cliff into the river. Clearly it floated somewhere and now someone is using it against me, as it is the same exact pain I felt before when Blackbeard held the head of the doll over a candle flame."

Mr. Gibbs eyes widened in fear and he spun around, spitting on the floor in the sailor's ritual to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. "That be bad luck, Jack!"

"And there aint a thing we can do about it, mate." The pirate replied unhappily. "Not until I find out who has the doll and get it back."

The pirate didn't add that he suspected it was Angelica. With her father dead, he was sure she was set on revenge. That and she had the knowledge and motive.

"I'll be sure to ask Sebastian about this matter." Ciel promised as he headed out of the room.

000

In the Shinigami Dispatch Division, everyone was at their desk doing their own work when a reaper with a short black ponytail burst into the room wide-eyed. "A ship arrived at that dock just now! It – it just came from nowhere!"

After blurting out the news, he dashed towards William T. Spears' office. Soon Spears appeared with his hedge trimmer death scythe in hand and headed towards the dock, everyone in the office following. A few moments later they were all outside and gaping at the huge ship that was in the process of being tied up to the brand new dock. A wooden ramp was lowered by the crew and then Captain Turner appeared. He descended the ramp and stepped onto the dock, looking about. He spotted the crowd and headed towards them.

"I am William T. Spears, Supervisor of the Shinigami Dispatch Division." Spears said as he studied his new employee. The young man had messy long brown hair, wore a white shirt with a dark waistcoat, pants, boots and had a sword strapped at his side. "I understand that you recently took up this job position and most likely still learning it. When can I expect your first reports?"

"Reports?" Will Turner looked at him confused, that famous dumb expression on his face. "What reports?"

"The reports you must write on each soul you had collected and their cinematic record. Geez, didn't anyone tell you this?" Spears asked as a frown crossed his face.

"No?" Will stared at him blankly.

"Well, writing a report on each soul is required." Spears stated as he pulled out a pad of paper from the aether to jot down some notes. "I understand your name is William Turner and this is the Flying Dutchman?"

"Aye." Will replied but his eyes were scanning the crowd now behind Spears. His eyes widened in surprise and a grin spread across his face. "Elizabeth!"

In Will's eagerness to see Elizabeth again, he pushed his way past Spears. Unfortunately, Spears lost his balance and fell off of the pier backward into the cold sea. A moment later his head broke the water and he was forced to crawl out onto the bank. He stood there for a moment, dripping as his wet hair hung in his face as it was no longer neat and tidy as he preferred it. He pushed it backward with a hand and glared at the newcomer who had caused his unscheduled dunk in the freezing water.

"Elizabeth, I thought I'd never see you again!" Will exclaimed as he dashed up to her, taking her into his arms for a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I found my real parents and now I'm a grim reaper just like my mother. Isn't that wonderful? We can see each other all the time now!" She replied happily as she hugged Will back. She stepped back then and put an arm about Grell's shoulders. "This is my mother, Grell."

Will stared at Grell for a moment obviously trying to figure out if he was a man or a woman but then gave up. The young blacksmith turned reaper bowed slightly from the waist and offered his hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you."

Pleased with his charm and manners, Grell smiled to reveal shark teeth and shook his hand.

"Mr. Turner!" Spears angrily said as he came up to the group, dripping.

"Captain!" Both Will and Elizabeth cried at the same moment.

Spears frowned. "What is it with you people and these titles?"

"I command the Dutchman therefore I am a captain." Will explained as he half turned to look at his new boss. "What did you want anyway? I brought the souls in so what do I do with them? I need to go back out and get more…"

"Not before you write those reports." Spears interjected, frowning as icy water dripped down his face.

"But I don't know how to write…" Will said with a blank look. "Can't I just tell you now? I mean, there's not much to it really…"

Spears grimaced then in clear disgust. "Who assigned you to be a grim reaper?"

"Calypso."

Everyone gasped except for those who already knew Will and his story. It was unheard of for anyone to actually know such a heathen goddess or the fact she even existed. None of the reapers knew a god personally no matter the religion said god might be from. They had seen angels but that was it, so it came as a large shock to hear Will say her name.

"Well, I can't do anything about that." William T. Spears said as he dried off his glasses with a wet hanky and then stuck them back onto his face, only to discover they were now coated with wet bits of lint from his pocket. He paused, unsure how to clean them now. "You are a reaper and you must write the reports. Eric and Alan can help you. They will show you how the typewriter works. This would be an especially good assignment for Alan as it will be desk work."

Eric and Alan introduced themselves to Will and they all headed back to the office. Ronald ended up guiding Spears as he could see very poorly now due to the fuzz on his lenses.

Without a doubt, William T. Spears was having a bad day but he had no idea it would soon grow even worst.

000

"What's a cinematic record?" Will asked Eric and Alan once they had the captain of the Dutchman settled down at a desk, a typewriter and a tall stack of blank paper before him. "I never heard of one. Calypso only told me to collect the souls at sea…"

"It's the record of a person's life." Eric explained from where he sat next to Will, having pulled his own chair over. "It comes out of the person's body when they die. It's a long but thin coil full of images, images that shows what that person did during their lifespan – both the good and the bad. You then can decide if they should live or die; but I guess in your case that doesn't apply as the souls are already dead, huh?"

"Eric," Alan said from where he sat on the other side of Will. "I just realized something…"

"What?" Eric looked past Will to his best friend, a question clear on his face.

"Why isn't he wearing glasses?" Alan pointed to Will Turner's face and the obvious lack of special spectacles. "All grim reapers wear glasses but he doesn't have any! He can't see cinematic records without them."

"Huh, I didn't notice it until you mentioned it!" Eric stared at Will, confused. "Can you see things OK?"

"Why shouldn't I be able to?" Will asked, clearly puzzled. "And I don't need glasses. They're nothing wrong with my eyesight."

"But all grim reapers wear glasses!" Eric insisted. "It's one of the first rules!"

"Davey Jones, my predecessor, never wore any." Will pointed out. "And one needs expert eyesight out at sea. If you can't see long distances, you'll open your hull on a reef or get sunk by pirates. Besides, you need to see the sky clearly to navigate, to take the reading just before noon. You can't do that if you're nearsighted!"

Eric shrugged. "Maybe the Dutchman has different rules…"

"Why didn't William-san notice this?" Alan asked as he glanced around the office to see that everyone was busy. Elizabeth, Grell and the three navy fellows were busy reading the demon books and Ronald's fingers were flying across his typewriter at incredible speed. He knew Ronald always was the first one to finish his work, rushing through it at lightning speed, so he could leave early for his parties. "I would ask him, but he seems in a bad mood since that dunk in the sea."

"When is William ever in a good mood?" Eric laughed. "He was born sour."

"So what do I write?" Will asked as he gawked at the strange machine before him.

"Well, you can start with the name of one of the souls you collected." Eric suggested. "Just hit these keys in succession."

"But how do I know their names?" Will asked with the dumb expression on his face. "They were just floating there in the Locker, unconscious and not aware of anything. Jones let them float like that for hundreds of years I think, so they're comatose. I just call them Floaters as that's what they do."

Eric groaned loudly and slapped a hand to his head, his fingers forking through his thick blonde hair.

"I suppose I could number them…" Will flexed his fingers and gawked at the strange machine. "Uh, how do you spell Floater?"

000

Lunch time arrived and everyone headed to the break room, Eric and Alan glad to get a respite from Will's constant "how do you spell this" questions. In the end they found out it didn't matter as he knew nothing about any of the thousand souls he had brought in, as they were all Floaters. So in the end Will had simply wrote "Found Floater 1 in the Locker, collected him/her and brought said soul to London Dispatch" and he just ended up changing the numbers. They both knew Spears would have a psychotic episode when he read those reports and so they both planned to be out collecting souls at that time.

Truth be told, it was a waste of paper.

But Will sat there dutifully plinking one key at a time, typing as fast as a turtle moves. Typing was clearly not his thing.

Elizabeth meanwhile was trying to come up with a diversion to get her supervisor out of his office so she could steal a magic potion. In retrospect she should have done it when the Dutchman had arrived, but she had been eager to see Will and now the opportunity was lost. She thought of the layout of the building, especially the area around Spears' office. She even had Grell draw a map on a piece of typing paper. There was a closet they could hide in when he came out to investigate whatever the diversion would be.

She and Grell sat at the corner table, as far away from the others as they could get. She leaned forward over her lunch and spoke softly to her mother. "I think I have a plan…"

"Oh?" Grell replied with interest in his green-yellow eyes. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you in a bit." She replied mysteriously as she saw someone coming their way and pointed to show someone was approaching.

"Elizabeth," Will said warmly as he stopped before their table. "I'd like to apologize for being so distant those past few months after Jack died. I … I know that was wrong of me and I hope you can forgive me. I thought that we could never be together once I became the Captain of the Dutchman, but now I think we could be. I'd like another chance, if you'll have me that is."

His words took her by surprise.

"I still love you and I will always love you." Will continued the emotion clear in his soft brown eyes. "It's why I gave you my heart, as it has always belonged to you."

"Turner!" Norrington called as he came up behind the other, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcibly turning him around. "You're engagement to Miss Swann is over. She is my betrothed as is only proper. A Governor's daughter should not marry a blacksmith."

"I risked my life for Elizabeth!" Will cried in a raised voice, attracting the attention of the others in the break room. "When she was kidnapped by pirates you did nothing! I was the one who went out and saved her!"

"Mind your place, Turner!" Norrington said coldly, his voice also going up in volume.

"My place is besides Elizabeth, if she'll have me!" Will replied in defiance. "You have the warmth of a slab of marble!"

Eric, Alan and Ronald stood from where they had been eating and came closer, watching. Even William T. Spears took notice and paused in eating his unimaginative sandwich of ham and cheese. He slowly put his sandwich down and reached for his death scythe in case it would be needed.

"Watch your tongue!" Norrington warned.

"You don't get to decide, she does." Will said as he drew his cutlass, the sword scraping with menace as it was drawn from its scabbard. He held it with ease in his hand. "You were even too scared to go rescue her that day, just like you were too scared to leap off the top of Fort Charles! Jack saved her from drowning that day, not you. You claim to love her, but you don't do anything to prove it!"

In a flash James' sword was free and he swung at Turner. Turner blocked it and the sword fight was engaged. Unexpectedly, they did not stay on the floor but leaped up onto the tables, leaping with ease from one to the other. They parried and blocked, the fight quickly moving to the other side of the room.

"Oooo, how romantic!" Grell gushed as he clasped his hands together over his chest. "They're fighting a duel over you!"

Elizabeth jumped to her feet and grabbed her mother by his red coat. "Come on, now's our chance!"

"Errr?" Grell looked confused for a moment, tearing his eyes off of the duel to stare at Elizabeth.

"It's the diversion!" She hissed at him.

And it was working wonderfully. Everyone was gawking at the swordfight and not just any swordfight but one between two expert swordsmen. James and Will were equally matched and neither would give way to the other. From the spectator's view, it looked deadly dangerous but Elizabeth knew they wouldn't really hurt each other – or she hoped they wouldn't. Even Spears was watching, the end of his long hedge trimmer planted solidly on the ground. At the moment he was doing nothing to stop the fight and she thought perhaps he was evaluating their skills.

She and Grell snuck out of the break room unseen by any eyes and dashed as fast as they could down the hall to Spears' office. To her delight, the supervisor had left his office door unlocked and within a few seconds they were in the room. Grell pointed to the glass cabinet behind the large wooden desk and she raced over to it. She pulled a pair of lock picks out of her clothing and started to fiddle with them. She forced herself to go slow less she mangle the job, still her nerves were jumping and each second seemed like an hour. Finally she heard the parts of the lock tumble and fall into place. She tore the door open and grabbed a few potion bottles and her pistol. The pistol was soon hid within her clothes and the potion bottles, too. She shut the glass door and heard it click into place.

"How did you learn to do that?" He asked, clearly surprised at the ability. "The next time William confiscates my chainsaw you need to get it back for me! I hate those puny scissors he gives me…"

"Yes, of course!" She replied as she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him out of the room, closing the office door behind them. "My friends Pintel and Ragetti taught me. They said a lady should know how to pick a lock so I could escape if I were ever kidnapped again."

A few seconds later they were back in the break room, no one the wiser for their absence. Will and Norrington were still fighting, leaping around in spectacular fashion to the delight of the other reapers. The swords clashed over and over to countless "ooohs" from the ones watching.

"Enough!" Spears finally called. "It is clear both of you are well matched and there will be no victor. I applaud you your physical abilities. I think we can skip that part of your training and just focus on the informative part. Even many of my current reapers don't match your skills. The sooner you finish the training and take up the actual work the better."

"But that's not what we're fighting about…" Will protested as he stopped, his sword still held at the ready.

Norrington also paused and glanced at Spears, his green eyes going over the man's head to Elizabeth. "Very well. This is not the place for our dispute, Turner. We shall continue this elsewhere, outside of work as is only proper."

Will slid his sword into its scabbard with practiced ease and jumped down to the floor in a fluid motion. He walked towards the exit of the break room, pausing to gaze back at Elizabeth. "No matter who you choose, I shall always love you."

And with that said, he left the room.

000

"Aaah, another boring day done with!" Grell cried happily as he stepped into Phantomhive. "I swear William is jealous I married Sebas-chan and not him, even though he never paid me any attention what so ever!"

"Did you get the potion?" Ciel asked hopefully.

"Yes, I stole several of them." Elizabeth replied as she pulled them from her clothing, the small glass vials resting in the palm of her hand. "James created an expert diversion."

"My darling knows how to pick locks!" Grell gushed happily as he without warning hugged her from behind. "But I forbid you to go off to sea without me!"

"Of course she knows how to pick locks, mate. She's the King of the Pirates and what a poor king she would be if she didn't possess such a basic skill." Jack Sparrow glided into the room, his hands and arms held aloft as if for balance. "I voted her King due to her excellent skills and the ability to deceive."

"This is what you want." Elizabeth held out one of the tiny vials to Jack. "Immortality."

Jack eyed it for a long moment, not touching it in the slightest. "What's the catch? There's always a catch with these things."

"You'll have to do the work, Jack." She informed him. "You'll learn how to be a reaper and then you'll have to go out to collect souls and write reports on them."

"Reports, errr? Uggh." Jack stuck his tongue out in utter disgust. "I prefer being Captain. Who's the fellow in charge up there? What's he like?"

"Personality wise he's very much like James except worst; a very by-the-book type of man with zero imagination." Elizabeth informed him as she thought of William T. Spears. "And he has a bad habit of abusing my mother, too! Then he was rude enough to confiscate my pistol when I protested Mother's rude treatment."

"Oh, he's a pushover and a coward." Jack paused for a moment, thinking, and then reached out to take the vial. "I shall accept your wonderful offer and pay what's his face a visit tomorrow!"

And with that said, Jack unstopped the tiny bottle and downed the contents in a single gulp. Up in the Shinigami Realm, the name Jack Sparrow magically appeared on the roster of Shinigami. William T. Spears, however, did not notice. He was too busy fuming over one thousand sheets of paper neatly piled on his desk, each one with a single sentence on it. They were numbered in consecutive order but otherwise told him nothing at all. And by the time he reached the pier to yell at Turner about the incomplete paperwork, he saw that the Flying Dutchman was long gone.

TBC…

PS. In case you did not notice, "Will" always refers to Will Turner and "William" refers to William T. Spears. Unless I made a few mistakes...

Also Davey Jones never wore any glasses nor his crew, so that fits with the POTC movies. And at the end of AWE when Will is the Captain of the Dutchman he wasn't wearing glasses either - yet they are clearly grim reapers who collect souls out at sea. I just made up a reason as to why that is. Most sailors, esp the command crew, seem to possess great eyesight. The black kohl around the eyes is related to that, too. It cuts down glare and acts similar to sunglasses.

Someone asked about Blackbeard's Lich potion. No, Blackbeard drinking from the wrong chalice did not affect anything. In fact, that is what made his Lich potion go into affect. He had to DIE before the potion works. The potion does not grant immortality but makes him undead. A lich is basically an undead wizard (or witch). You can find them in epic high fantasy. Angelica is not a spell caster so the potion can do nothing for/to her. Other examples of undead creatures are vampires, zombies, mummies, etc.

I turned my PM thing on a few weeks ago...


	6. Jack's Plan

Jack Sparrow 6

The next morning dawned bright and clear. After eating breakfast prepared by Sebastian, Grell led the new grim reapers including Jack to the Shinigami Realm. The redhead had no idea how he would explain Jack's presence to dour William, but Jack had told him not to worry and that he would take care of it by himself.

"Hello my dears!" Grell cried as he run into the office, his red jacket and hair trailing out behind him. "I am here! You may all relax now!"

Ronald, Eric and Alan ignored him as they settled down at their desks.

Grell then blew them all kisses before heading to his own desk, Elizabeth following him. She slumped into the desk next to his, sighing.

The three navy men settled at their own desks, waiting for Spears to show up and tell them what to do.

And that was when Jack Sparrow sauntered into the office, a rum bottle in one hand. "At ease, gents!"

Ronald, Eric and Alan turned around to gape at the new man that stood before them. Truth be told, they never saw anyone like Jack Sparrow before. He wore his dark hair in dreadlocks and some colored beads flashed in his hair. A battered tricorne rested upon his head and a bright red bandana peeked out from underneath it. His once-white shirt was partly unbuttoned and the cuffs hung open carelessly, questionable stains here and there. His dark vest appeared in better shape and a long striped cloth of faded color circled his waist where a belt belonged. He wore tall boots and dark pants. A sword was at his hip and a pistol thrust through his belt. And what was that weird ivory stick-like thing poking out from under his hat? But most shocking of all was the open rum bottle he held in his hand. And the smell…!

Ronald gasped as he stared at him open-mouthed. "Who are you?"

"Me name be Captain Jack Sparrow and I be new here." Jack sauntered over to the empty desk next to poor Alan and set himself down. He leaned back in his chair, the chair balancing on its two rear legs and planted his boots up onto the desk, his feet crossed at the ankle. "Kind regards if ye stay off me poop deck here. If anyone needs the Captain for nautical things, please let me know. Until then I shall take a siesta."

And with that, Jack lowered his tricorne over his eyes and pretended to go to sleep. Oddly enough, the rum bottle was still clutched in his hand.

"Who is that guy?" Ronald asked again, still staring at the pirate in shock. "Is he a new recruit or what?"

Eric shrugged. "No idea."

Elizabeth tried hard not to laugh and was forced to tear her eyes off of her pirate friend. She didn't want William to figure out she was involved, although he probably would anyway.

Just then William T. Spears appeared, the ever present death scythe gripped in his hand. He was about to open his mouth to say something but paused when his eyes spotted Sparrow. A shocked expression appeared on his face for a few seconds and then vanished. He bee lined towards the pirate without delay. "Who are you?"

Jack reached up and moved his hat so he could see the dour man that was speaking to him. He stared at him with black eyes lined with the blackest kohl. "And who might you be?"

"I am William T. Spears, Supervisor of the Shinigami Dispatch Division. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I be Captain Jack Sparrow." The pirate replied as he studied Spears. The man was a neat freak and even his hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. "I be new here."

"Who made you a Shinigami?" Spears demanded to know. He pulled a book out of the air itself, flipping the pages until he found Sparrow's name listed.

"A man by the name of Smith or Smithe if ye like. Short fellow with glasses, dresses just like you. Told me to report here he did and then vanished, said he had to go collect some souls…"

"Smith?" Spears seemed confused now, as he clearly did not know a reaper by that name. It apparently never occurred to him that a reaper would lie to him on purpose. "Was he from the London Dispatch?"

"I rightly don't know, mate, with me being new and all…" Jack took a slug of his rum, drawing attention to it.

"What is that you're drinking?" Spears demanded to know, his nose wrinkling at the strong stench of alcohol.

"Rum." The pirate replied.

"Alcohol is not allowed in the office." Spears quickly said and tried to snatch the bottle away, but the pirate held it out of reach.

"Ye got it written in black and white, mate?"

Spears grimaced. Apparently it was not written in black and white. "I would think it would be common sense not to bring alcohol to work, but apparently you have no common sense. Why did Smith send you to my division?"

"Said you were short-handed." Jack glug-gluged more rum, upending the bottle until it was drained dry. Then he offered the empty container to Spears. "Be a good lad and dispose of this for me, aye?"

The grim supervisor paused, realizing if he now took the bottle he would in fact be taking orders from the new recruit instead of the other way around. Still, he needed to take the contraband away so he reached out and grabbed the bottle. It was sticky with who knew what. Spears frowned in obvious disgust and held it with only two fingers. Even through his gloves he could feel how tacky it was and see stuff ruining the perfect blackness of his once-spotless gloves.

Then the supervisor's eyes narrowed as he took in the man's style of dress. "Do you know Sutcliffe and his daughter?"

"Don't know who you're talking about, mate." Sparrow lied with ease.

Spears stood there for a moment, apparently confused. Then he handed him a book on demons and ordered him to read it. "Be sure to write a report when you're done reading. I need to see if I can find out which Division Smith works in…"

And with that said, Spears headed back to his office.

Jack smiled, flashing gold teeth. "That man is putty in me hands."

000

"What about our assignments?" Ronald asked in confusion. "He didn't give us any! The new guy has him totally side-tracked!"

"He'll come back soon enough when he remembers. Just enjoy the rare free time." Eric said with sure confidence as he leaned back in his chair, stretching while trying to stifle a yawn. He moved his glasses out of the way and rubbed at his eyes. "It's too early to be up anyway…"

"Did Eric-senpai have a busy night?" Ronald demanded to know with a grin, teasing his friend. "Did you finally go out with one of the secretaries? But you're such as boor at parties! All you do is eat and drink! The ladies like dancing and a bit more action!"

"I was in the library."

Ronald screeched in horror upon hearing the answer. "You're hopeless!"

Eric got up from his chair, stretching a bit more and then walked the short distance to Alan's desk. He bent over his friend, his dark jacket hanging open and the black tie having a sloppy careless appearance. "Hey, I think I might have found something. It's a long shot and just a myth really, but it's the only possible lead I could fine."

Alan tilted his head to gaze up at his friend, looking perplexed at his words. His brown-almost-copper hair shone under the artificial light. "What are you talking about?"

"A possible cure for the Thorns…" Eric said softly, his eyes shifting about to see if anyone else in the office was listening in. But they all seemed to be doing their own thing. Ronald was thumping a rhythm out on his desktop with his palms and making noises with his lips. Elizabeth and Grell seemed to be laughing about something together and the Admiral fellow was glaring with obvious anger at the new fellow. "It's a bit radical though…"

"But I thought there was no cure?" Alan stated softly.

"I read this thing about a thousand pure souls…" Eric appeared guilty, his eyes downcast.

"Eric, that's … that's monstrous! You can't kill a thousand innocent souls to save me! That's only a fairy tale; it's not even real. How could you even think of such a thing?" Alan was shocked, his green eyes wide and his face paler than normal.

"I don't know what else to do!" Eric hotly replied, clearly upset as well. "I don't want to do it any more than you do, but there's no other option!"

"Killing others never solves anything, mate. It'll just make things worse." A new voice said with confidence but also a hint of sadness.

Eric and Alan turned to see the new fellow standing before Alan's desk, his kohl rimmed eyes watching them.

Recognition sparked in Alan's green eyes than and he pointed a finger at the pirate. "Are you the Jack that Elizabeth talks about?"

"Of course I am, mate. I be the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean and dear Lizzy is me king." Jack did a mock bow.

"That all fine and good, but I can't let my best friend die." Eric insisted.

"Nothing is permanent, mate, not even death itself." Jack replied mysteriously as he idly scratched at the black stain near his thumb.

"I would think I know more about death then you do." Eric said gruffly as he shook his head, annoyed by the pirate's words. "You're just a recruit. I've been doing this work for almost a century. Once you're dead, your dead and there's no coming back so don't tell me some lies to make me feel better because it won't work."

"Did ye never see the green flash out at sea?" Jack asked as he waved a hand out before him. "Just before dawn on some days, there is a brilliant green flash that lights up the sky for an instant. If ye blink you'll miss it: it's that fast. But that flash happens when a soul has returned to this world from the dead!"

Eric snickered as he idly played with his jacket, opening and closing the front. "Now there's a fairy tale!"

"But it's real, mate!" Jack insisted as he shoved his wiggling fingers in Eric's face. "I was swallowed whole by the kraken and died! There I found myself in the Locker on me beloved Pearl. But Lizzy risked her life coming to the Locker to rescue me. And we discovered the secret, the secret of how to come back after you've died!"

Ronald gawked open-mouthed at Jack's words.

"It's true." Elizabeth confirmed. "If you die at sea, there's a way in and out of the Locker."

"Well, I'd like to prevent the dying part if you don't mind." Eric clarified for the others. "How can I trust this 'coming back' thing and if it'll really work? It sounds too risky. I don't suppose you have another solution?"

Jack's gaze shifted about the room then, his mind clicking. He then turned back to Eric and waved his hand about in a flourish. "I actually do have another solution, mate! It be a chest of coins. The coins be cursed and anyone who removes one of these coins from the chest cannot die. It shall stop this Thorns of Death right in its track. Mind you it is not a cure, but a way to pause it until a proper cure can be found."

For the first time Alan looked hopeful. He half stood with bended knees and planted his palm's on his desk, his gaze locked on Sparrow. "Are they really real? I mean, do they actually work? You're not telling some wild story are you?"

"If you're lying to Alan and getting his hope up, I'll kill you." Eric threatened as his face grew dark.

"No worries, mate, I swear every word is true!" Jack promised as he placed a hand over his chest. "Would I lie to you?"

"The coins are real." Elizabeth confirmed. "I've seen them and the curse in action. I used to have one of them and thought it a pirate medallion but it was cursed Aztec gold.

"We've all seen the cursed pirates that had used the coins." James added. "They were impossible to kill while under the curse. You could run them through with a sword and it had zero effect. Of course, they could kill you just fine…"

Alan grew excited then as his gaze flickered from one person to another. "Well, where are they? Do you still have them?"

"The coins are where they have always been, mate." Jack replied. "On the Island of the Dead, otherwise known as Isla de Muerta. There ye will find a cave and inside that cave is treasure beyond anyone's imagination. I reckon even King George II doesn't have that much gold and silver. And in the place of honor is a gigantic chest, filled with the cursed coins of Cortez. It was meant to be blood money to stop the slaughter of the Aztec people, mind you. Anyone who removes a single coin from that chest is cursed for all eternity by the Aztec Gods and the curse is ye'll live forever."

"So where is this island?" Eric asked as he threw an arm about Alan's bony shoulders, hugging him. The Shinigami's mood had brightened as he began to realize that this cure was real.

"In the Caribbean." Jack replied.

"The Caribbean?" Ronald gasped, his mouth falling open. "William-senpai won't let you go way out there!"

Alan's face fell as he realized how far it was. "That's almost on the other side of the world! And Ronald is right, William-san won't ever let me off work to go there. Why, it would take months!"

"Then we will have to convince him otherwise." Jack calmly stated as a wide grin spread across his face. "All it requires is the proper amount of leverage."

Eric laughed. "You're crazy. William won't ever allow that."

"There are two things that are important." Jack instructed as he strode up and back between the row of desks. "There is what a man can do and what a man can't do. Now you could very well hop onto a ship going to the Caribbean and it in fact happens I have such a ship. I would welcome ye aboard, mate. A man can't fly to the moon but ye can get to the Caribbean easily enough. But ye must decide what ye desire to do."

"But the rules!" Ronald cried as he pointed a finger at Jack. "You're breaking the first rule right now! You're not wearing the special glasses!"

"I'll have ye know my eyesight is just fine, thank ye very much." Jack sauntered about the office proving he could indeed see. Then he asked Ronald to hold up a random book from the bookcase at the side of the room and Jack read the title and author from as far away as he could get.

"Wow, you're eyesight is really good!" Ronald exclaimed in awe as he placed the book back. "Are you really a grim reaper? We're all so horribly near-sighted!"

"Turner didn't need glasses either…" Alan pointed out. "And his eyes were brown, not green with rings like ours. Yet he was clearly a grim reaper. He said it had to do with needing to see out at sea."

"Maybe he's destined to go back out to sea…" Eric shrugged, not really caring about the missing spectacles. "But we need to make a decision. Alan, what do you want to do? I'm willing to split out of here and the rules can hang themselves. If there's a cure in that cave I say we go for it."

"But Eric!" Alan gasped, shocked by his best friend's rash attitude. "What of the souls we're to collect? If we go, who will do our work? We'd get in serious trouble!"

"The problem with ye people is ye think too much. Just go if ye want to go." Jack advised, thinking they were just like Turner when he had first met him.

Grell had been standing there watching rapt with attention and listening to what everyone had been saying. This was the golden opportunity to go on the trip with his dear Sebas-chan. He darted forward, waving his black gloved hands to get their notice. "Wait, wait! I want to go on this trip! Sebas-chan is going and I don't want to be left here alone for months on end! I've never been anywhere except London and the surrounding countryside. This is our chance to see the world!"

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "Why look at a painting when we could go there? Come on, Alan, you said yesterday how pretty it sounded. And Captain Sparrow here says he has a ship."

"I…" Alan was confused and torn on what to do. He glanced from person to person, looking for the correct answer. "But if we do go, our names might be erased from the Book of Shinigami. We all could lose our lives, our immortal lives. Is all of our lives worth it just to save mine?"

"Freedom!" Elizabeth cried as she leaped up onto her desk, throwing one arm up into the air. A strong gust of wind from a nearby open window blew past just that moment, gripping her long red-gold hair and lifting it off her shoulders. It almost appeared she was standing on the side rail of a ship, her hand gripping one of the thick coils of rope. "Freedom and friendship is worth dying for! If you won't risk your life to save those you love, than what is worth dying for? Or would you rather die alone without anyone even caring that you've passed into the beyond? I say we board the Black Pearl, sail to the Caribbean and save our dear friend before it's too late. Who is with me?"

"I say we sail the seas forever!" Jack cried with excitement. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Grell spun about and made his trademark "I Love You" symbol with his hand and flashed sharp pearly white teeth.

"We're going, of course." Admiral Norrington stated as he indicated himself and his two officers. "Someone needs to watch Sparrow."

"It be my ship!" Jack countered as he shot Norrington a dirty look.

"The King put me in charge of the expedition. The ship shall be run properly." James stared at the pirate that he was always chasing.

"I say we go!" Eric agreed with the others and turned to look at Ronald. "What about you? Are you coming? It seems everyone else is…"

"Uh, are there parties?" Ronald asked uncertainly. "Or is it overtime? Of course, I don't want Alan to be sick and suffer either. A cure should be found as who is to say which one of us will catch the Thorns next?"

"Mate, the Pearl be a pirate ship! We party as often as we like!"

"Yes! Never-ending parties!" Ronald leaped up in the air, excited about the idea of it. "Wait, are there girls?"

"The Gunner has a daughter!" Jack cried happily.

"Yes! Girls!" The blonde Shinigami jumped about the office in excitement unaware that the term "gunner's daughter" actually referred to the whip used for punishment. At other times the whip was called "the cat of nine tails".

"Revolting." James said with obvious disgust as he spoke softly to his two officers. "Sparrow twists the truths however it suits him. At this rate, we'd have to make sure none of these imbeciles fall overboard."

"We'll have to watch them closely." Theo agreed.

Jack then moved in front of Alan. "So what say you?"

"I… I guess I'm going?" He said uncertainly in a haltering voice, unshed tears in his green eyes. "I'm really touched that everyone cares so much for me. I never knew and then some of you are complete strangers! Yet you're so generous, offering a ship and passage and supplying the cure even…"

He removed his glove then, wiping at his eyes while making sniffling sounds. "I really don't know what to expect from a sea voyage, but I hope its smooth sailing."

Everyone quickly agreed.

"What's going on here?" A firm voice demanded. "You, whatever your last name is – you have so many I don't even know what to call you – get down from that desk!"

Elizabeth spun on top of the desk to see William T. Spears standing at the front of the office glaring at all of them. He then calmly walked to the nearby bulletin board and pinned a sheet of paper there. At the top was the word "Rules" and then it listed several items, including "no pistols" and "no alcohol especially rum". He turned around and adjusted his black-framed glasses. "I said get down from there!"

"Mate, we're all going to the Caribbean." Jack informed the dour supervisor. "Ye can either come with us or stay here."

"What madness are you talking about? Are you insane? The Caribbean is in the New World!" Spears tightened his grip on his hedge trimmer death scythe, his narrow gaze flickering from person to person. "I go into my office to find out about this Smith – who doesn't seem to exist – and now I find this madness on my return! Have you been handing out opium behind my back? Need I haul the lot of you in for drug checks?"

"We just want to save Alan's life." Elizabeth replied softly as she finally hopped down from her high perch. "There's a cure but it's in the Caribbean; a magic coin that can stop anyone from dying. Jack has a ship and he's offered to take us."

Spears fumed. "This is what I get for overlooking your parentage. Demons have a glib voice and the weak minded often fall for their pretty words. That is how they catch their prey."

"It has nothing to do with that at all!" Elizabeth replied, clearly disgusted. "Would you really let your friend, your co-worker die when there's a cure? Are you really that cold and heartless?"

"How do I know this cure is real and not an excuse to go on a vacation?" William T. Spears asked as he pointed the red tip of his death scythe towards Sparrow. "That man obviously lies. I cannot find any trace of the mysterious Smith person he mentioned."

"Yes, Jack often lies but he often tells the truth as well. The cure is real." Elizabeth reassured him. "I've seen it in action when some pirates had used the coins to become immune to all weapons. James and his officers saw it as well. The coins may be cursed but perhaps they could be used for a good purpose finally."

"That," James stated dryly from where he stood. "Was my first encounter with the supernatural. The coins and the curse are real enough. They're in that cursed pirate cave. All of my men had refused to go in there from fear of the curse and I didn't blame them. It messes with the mind when the pirate you're fighting with turns into a laughing skeleton in the moonlight and their wounds refuse to bleed."

For some reason Spears seemed to trust Norrington's word more than Elizabeth's or Jack's – maybe it was his crisp naval uniform and the reputation it carried. He straightened his death scythe out, returning it to a vertical position. "If this is true, an actual cure for the Thorns of Death would be a valuable discovery. It so happens this morning I received a report that two other Shinigami have caught the disease, one in Paris and one in some rural part of Scotland. We still do not know why some people are catching this illness and others do not, but I'm sure the Council would grant us leave to retrieve these coins and bring them to London."

Ronald gasped in shock. "The Council would actually let us go?"

"I believe so, yes." Spears adjusted his glasses. "But that does not mean this trip will be one long vacation. I'm sure there are things we can do on the ship, like brushing up on the academics and so forth. But first I must go see the Council."

Before leaving to see the Council, Spears handed out the assignments. Ronald, Eric and Grell had souls to collect. Alan was left in charge of the new recruits, who had more books to read. They needed to learn about Cinematic Records and how people were to be judged, to see if they were important in the schemes of things. As for Sparrow, well, he had to read the book on demons.

"Just make sure they don't destroy the office." Spears told Alan. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

000

A Few Months Ago, Somewhere in the Caribbean

Angelica was still angry at Jack. He had killed her father! Well, maybe not directly but he had lied about which chalice was which. "And now I am left fatherless! I was never able to redeem his soul so he will suffer in the fiery pits for sure! That means we will never be reunited in the promised afterlife."

For all of her piracy, some part of her still believed in what she had been taught at the Spanish convent.

Angelica struggled up a steep hill, the loose soil eroding under her boot hills. She was on some nameless island and she hoped it was the right one. She had searched several already without success but this one was the last in the chain and also the oldest. She had not lied to Jack when she had told him of the chest to control the winds and tides. It was real and she would find it. Maybe Jack had never heard of it, but she had. Legend has it contained the magical jewels from Poseidon's crown and bracers. Supposedly someone had stolen the items long, long ago. Most of the stories said it had been a power-hungry sea witch. She had made an enchanted map to go with the jewels and the complete set was in this chest.

"It had better be here…" She paused at the top of the hill and wiped the sweat from her brow. The landscape before her was windswept, consisting mostly of dry sea grasses that bowed in the salty sea breeze that blew past. A few rocks were here and there, but the main thing that drew her eye was the tangled roots of a massive tree that had fallen over at some point in time. Hope bloomed in her heart and she raced towards the gigantic tree that now lay on its side for the stories said the chest had been hidden by a big tree.

She stopped by the hole left by the roots, not looking into it immediately. Instead she gazed at the root mass that was about ten times taller than she was. "I must be a fool. What are the odds that it's even here? Even Jack didn't believe in the chest…"

Finally after standing there for what must have been ten minutes, she glanced downward. Soft dirt met her eyes and she sighed, about to walk away in defeat. Just as she was about to turn, an unusual shape caught her eye. She leaned forward, looking hard. "Could it be…?"

Angelica leaped down into the hole and started to dig with her dagger. Soon the lid of a chest emerged and then its sides. Once it was freed, she tucked it under her arm and crawled out of the hole. Placing the chest on the dry grass, she pried it open with her knife. The scent of ancient paper met her nose first and then she saw the bright sparkle of blue gems. And beneath the shiny gems there was a folded map.

"Jack Sparrow, you will be sorry you swindled my father! I'll not let you get away with that! You and the Pearl will suffer!"

000

A Few Months Ago, the Fountain of Youth

Things were quiet and peaceful at the Fountain of Youth. A gentle breeze whistled between the wine covered column and trees, making the leaves move softly. A pretty butterfly flapped its wings and the water on the ground gurgled. The once stately Fountain was in ruins, the stone cracked and laying on the ground in jagged pieces. It was a crime against humanity to destroy such an ancient site such as this but the Spanish had not cared. They saw it as an atrocity against God and so it had been knocked down. Who had built the site was long forgotten to time and no one would likely ever know the truth about its builders.

A few skeletons were scattered about the ruins. One was a nameless sailor who had fallen during the battle and his comrades had abandoned his body. Birds and insects had pecked his flesh and clothes away for nourishment – yes some beetles had happily chewed his clothing until nothing was left but the metal bits like buckle and buttons – and now he was just bones. Blackbeard was another skeleton, his flesh and blood having been devoured by the Fountain itself. The third skeleton was already there when Barbossa and Blackbeard had arrived, so there was no telling who he might have been at one time. But time had passed and no reaper had appeared to collect their souls. Each was left to his own devices and they ignored each other.

Invisible, Blackbeard's soul waited impatiently for the Lich Potion he had consumed to work. It was very, very odd to be outside of his body and even odder yet to be staring down at his bones… BONES! It had never occurred to him that the Fountain could do this. Everyone had always spoke of the Fountain as this great treasure but now that he had witnessed it first hand, its magic seemed very dark indeed. More time trickled by and he could feel himself start to panic. What if the Fountain was stronger than the potion? Or had he brewed it wrong? What if he were stuck like this forever?

He recalled the stories his daughter told him, of how good people went to Heaven and how wicked ones went down to Hell. He half expected some hole to open in the ground at his feet, red light spewing forth to drag him downwards but no such thing happened. Perhaps the Fountain was isolated from even those two places and he could not be reached here? But he saw the birds come and go as they pleased.

Truth be told, the pirate was beginning to grow bored, very bored. There was nothing to do here at all. He couldn't read his books, he couldn't do his voodoo rituals, he couldn't attack ships and he couldn't torture innocents for fun. He grew so bored he once tried to kill a butterfly out of desperation but his hand just passed right through it.

But he still possessed his mind and keen intelligence, so he started to plot and scheme. He imagined how he would get revenge on Sparrow. It was his fault that he was dead and his daughter alive, as he had lied about which chalice had contained what.

"And like a fool I had listened to him!"

A dark chill passed through Blackbeard's soul then as he realized he had said the words out loud! He felt a tugging in the center of his chest then, as if something were pulling on him. Red hot fear flashed through him as he didn't know what this was. Maybe the dark denizens of the pit had finally found him? He tried to cling to one of the vine covered columns but his arms just passed right through them. He was dragged backward then, the pulling sensation growing stronger and stronger. He could feel a cold burning as well, which only increased his fear. He had never been scared before, not even when the Fountain had killed him but now he was. His feet were dragged through the standing water that covered the ground, his passage not making a single ripple.

And then it happened…

His finger bone flexed, the bone curling upward.

The dark eye sockets of Blackbeard's skull lit with a fierce red glow and his jaw bone opened.

"Jack Sparrow, you will die for your deception!"

The Lich Potion had finally overcome the power of the Fountain and Blackbeard was now an undead Lich and no one in their right mind got in a lich's way.

TBC…

Note: Thanks for explaining dreadlocks - I always thought they were some weird type of messy braid but the real explanation makes more sense, especially with Jack's poor hygiene. And I doubt if Alan would want to use the Fountain as it would require him to take a life and Blackbeard has no life to give. Besides, the Fountain is broke - not that Jack told that to the demons! LOL. Some of the inspiration for this story was the "constant headaches" I knew Jack would create for Spears. If he thinks Grell is a problem, well, than Jack must be a hundred times worst! Mahahaha!


	7. The Proof

Jack Sparrow 7

It was soon after Spears left that Alan lost control of the new recruits. The problem was that they were pirates and pirates liked doing what they pleased and one might think that James being a highly admired admiral would be immune, but he had gone pirate in the past as well. That and he had a bug about Sparrow.

"Should I read this or should I not?" Jack asked himself as he studied the cover of the demon book, uncertainty written all over his face. "It don't look particularly inspiring or interesting, but then there's them demon fellows and it might be wise to know about 'em…"

"Sparrow…" The cold voice of Norrington called.

Jack lifted his dark eyes to see the neatly dressed Admiral standing just before his desk. The expression on his face hinted the fact he was itching to string him up by the noose and the pirate gulped nervously. His dark eyes shifted about the large office with the orderly rows of desks, seeking a safe shelter. There were windows, of course but he missed the old-fashioned chandeliers which were nowhere to be seen for unknown reasons and had been replaced by strange squares of glowing light flush with the ceiling. Then his mood brightened somewhat as he realized that the ceiling offered no place to hang a noose either. "Yes, Former Commodore turned Admiral, what is it ye desire? I don't much like that look on yer face."

The pirate quickly stood and waved one arm about as he was wont to do, his mind tracing an escape route in case it was needed.

"Since we are in our proper places more or less, I thought I should take this opportunity to set right a few things…." Norrington glanced behind and motioned to his two officers. They promptly stepped forward, one of them carrying a thick coil of rope. Norrington returned his attention to Jack, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm sure you'll forgive me, won't you, Jack? I need to get this out of my system you see…"

"I protest!" Jack cried in a wild panic as he eyed the obvious noose that Groves had in his hands. "I already died for those crimes!"

"Not in my book you haven't." James countered and lunged across the desk to grab Sparrow. Jack, however, had been expecting the move and quickly leaped straight up. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize the incredible jumping skills a Shinigami had and so he had put too much power into his leap. He crashed right into the ceiling with a loud crash, white plaster dust and bits of broken drywall raining down. His head got stuck in the hollow area behind the ceiling and the pirate hung there for a few seconds, coughing and kicking his booted feet. Then he came falling back down and landed in an undignified heap, his hair dusted white as if he were wearing a powdered wig.

"What's going on?" Alan rose from his chair and turned, confused by the unexpected racket. He had expected the recruits to sit silently and to do the assignment. He took a few hesitant steps towards Jack. Spotting the ceiling debris on the floor, his green eyes rose to see the hole in the ceiling. Concern filled his face then and he realized what had happened – that Jack hadn't realized his new jumping skills and had suffered an accident. He hurried forward then and knelt down next to the pirate. "Are you hurt? Shall we go to the infirmary?"

"Grab him." Norrington ordered.

Gillette briskly stepped forward and roughly hauled Sparrow to his feet. Gripping his hands, they were soon secured in front of the pirate with a set of irons around each wrist.

"What… what are you doing?" Alan asked as he rose to his feet as well, his green eyes wide in confusion. "He's injured!"

"Sparrow isn't injured in the slightest." Norrington remarked as he pulled his pistol from under his frock coat and pointed it up at the ceiling. Taking careful aim, he pulled the trigger and another huge chunk of ceiling came crashing to the ground. Amid the white dust that hung in the air and set poor Alan coughing, James grinned as he had found what he had been hoping to find: a sturdy ceiling beam. "And I'm trying him for his crimes. He missed the dawn appointment last time."

Groves set about securing the noose over the beam and soon had it ready.

"James, stop!" Elizabeth cried as she hurried forward, her attention shifting from Norrington's stern face to Jack's worried one and to Alan having a coughing fit due to the dust. "You can't hang him! We're supposed to get him to cooperate! He saved my life!"

Alan clung to a desk, weak from coughing. "You're going to hang him?"

"It's what we do to pirates." James replied as he grabbed Jack and shoved the thick loop of rope around his neck. Once it was secured, he forced Jack up onto the desk. "Read the charges."

"Jack Sparrow, you have been found guilty of the following crimes." Theodore Groves read from a bit of parchment in his hands. "Piracy, smuggling, forgery, sailing under false colors, looting, depravity, poaching, vandalism, impersonating a cleric from the church of England, impersonating a judge, arson, kidnapping…"

"It's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow…." Jack stated unhappily from where he stood on the desk. "Why can't anyone ever get it right?"

"But…" Alan cried in shock. "You can't hang people in the office!"

"Why not? I don't see it posted on the set of rules." James countered and pointed towards the rule list that Spears had posted just that morning. "I've been hanging pirates most of my career. I'm just setting right an injustice."

"But you can't!" Alan exclaimed as he pointed a trembling finger at Jack. "He has the cure!"

"So he does…" Norrington agreed. "But then this won't really kill him will it? Consider it a test and experiment."

"James!" Elizabeth clung to his arm, trying to force him away from the desk that Jack was standing on. "Stop this! What's wrong with you? You said you were OK with me being the Pirate King!"

"He's a pirate is what's wrong." Jack muttered from where he stood. "He got a taste of it and is hooked. He just won't admit it."

Norrington glared at Jack. "I am not a pirate!"

"Are too!"

"I serve others. You, on the other hand, only serve yourself." Norrington told Jack. "That is the difference between us and it will remain so."

"But he offered me a cure without asking for anything in return. That's not being selfish." Alan pointed out. "He doesn't even know me. If he's only serving himself as you say, then why be so generous to a stranger?"

"No doubt he has some plan schemed up…" James replied darkly.

"I do not! I'm just helping Lizzy's friend is all. That and I can't stand to see someone suffer like that. It's not right. You just can't swallow the idea that I sometimes do good deeds." The pirate replied as he pulled and tugged on the irons around his wrists. He kept his booted feet planted firmly on the table while telling himself he was now immune to the noose, but it was hard to believe. Nor had he seen any real proof that he was now immune to death. Yes, he had seen Elizabeth's mother create the portal that led here, but otherwise he hadn't seen anything. And the thick rope was heavy around his neck, the tough fibers scratching his chin. "Get me down and I promise I will take you to the Aztec Coins that are on Isla de Muerta."

Norrington snorted. "Is your promise worth anything?"

"I told you the truth about the Heart of Davy Jones, didn't I?"

"That you did." Norrington admitted as he cast his gaze downward. "I am not proud of what I did that day. I shouldn't have stolen the Heart and run. When I heard later the Pearl had been sunk, I had feared Elizabeth dead. It was a miracle she survived."

"You need to learn about leverage, mate. I had Jones right where I wanted him until you screwed up my plan." Jack thought about his jar of dirt and how he had taunted Jones with it. "And I'm still rooting for you, you know."

"Then promise you'll do as the King wants and will take us to the Fountain of Youth. You will not run and you will not disappear." James lifted his gaze to stare at Sparrow and waited for a reply. "There will be no tricks."

"The command of the Pearl is mine!" Jack insisted. "She's a pirate ship and will be sailed as such."

"Very well." James agreed. "I may not agree with how you run your ship but I know it's effective as I've never been able to catch you out at sea."

"Of course not, mate. The Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean! Mr. Gibbs will find us an excellent crew. We sail first to Isla de Muerta and then onward to the Fountain. Savvy?"

"Very well, but no tricks Sparrow. I'll be watching you. And remember you may be able to outrun me in the past but I doubt you'll be able to lose those two demons."

Jack grimaced, sticking out his tongue. "They're not so bad. Besides, I bested a devil before…"

James laughed. "Another lie?"

"It's the truth!" Jack insisted as the pirate tried to keep his mood light. He didn't really want to think about Jones and that awful kraken, of being swallowed alive. And he had really beat Jones, hadn't he? Of course he did. But then why had he ended up in the beast's belly? With a quiver of flesh, he shook the dark thoughts off. "We have an accord. Now get me down!"

"What's going on here?" The loud voice of William T. Spears demanded.

Jack carefully turned on top of the desk to see the dour supervisor standing in the doorway of the office, his hedge trimmer in his hand. The man did not look happy but then the pirate was sure Spears didn't know how to smile.

"I leave you alone for a brief time and this is what you do in my absence? I hope you realize that won't work? You're still thinking like mortals…" Spears moved forward and to everyone's shock kicked the desk out from under Jack.

"No!" Elizabeth cried and darted forward to help her friend but was stopped by James' strong arm.

Jack seemed to hang in the air for a moment and then plummeted downward, his fall stopped by the noose. His body jerked to a sudden halt and his dark eyes bulged, he gasped for air and was sure his neck would break … except he kept breathing just fine. It was a tad painful to have most of his body weight hanging from his neck but he could live with that. "I … I'm still alive!"

"Of course you are!" Spears snorted with disgust as he eyed the dirty pirate that reeked of body odor and rum. "This was the fastest way to teach you you're immortal. You can't die."

Jack's dark eyes grew wider than and he raised a hand in the air, his index finger pointing. "I'm innocent! You tried me falsely for crimes and since I didn't die, it proves I'm innocent!"

Norrington moaned at the words. "Sparrow, we both know you're a pirate."

"Enough of this foolishness!" Spears said sternly as his hedge trimmer shot outward and easily clipped the rope. Jack fell to the plaster covered floor and landed with a thud. "The Council wants to know if you have any proof of your claims? Do you?"

Jack loosened the noose from around his neck and quickly threw it away. Standing, he rubbed at his sore neck and eyed the supervisor with distaste. No matter what Spears might say, he had tried to kill him – it didn't matter to Jack that it hadn't worked. Still, it was a good thing to know and so he filed it away. "Of course I have proof, mate!"

"Well, where is it?" Spears demanded to know. "The Council wants to see it before they give permission for this journey."

"It be on the Pearl." The pirate explained.

"And the Pearl is your ship?" Spears asked as he motioned for Jack to come closer. "Very well. We will go retrieve it and then take it before the Council. They are very interested in this cure just as I had expected. How soon can we set sail to attain this chest of magic coins?"

The pirate grinned, gold teeth flashing in his mouth. "As soon as me ship is ready. My first mate, Mr. Gibbs, needs to acquire supplies and hire a crew for the voyage. Rest assured, there is an endless supply of eager sailors to set sail with Captain Jack."

"Where exactly is your ship?" Spears asked as he turned to look at the pirate. "I will create a portal to take us there."

"Well…" Jack paused, unsure how to explain the ship in the bottle thing. "That demon fellow said he was going to get it out of that bottle…"

"Your ship is in a bottle?" Alan asked as he quickly moved to stand abreast of Jack, concern on his face. "How in the world did it get in a bottle?"

"Just some voodoo is all, nothing to be concerned with really…" Jack waved a hand about in the air, colorful rings flashing on his fingers. The iron manacles stopped his smooth movement and he frowned, staring down at the chain between his two hands. He yanked at it, grimacing. The chain refused to break. "I hate these things but dear Norry sure loves them…"

"Voodoo?" Alan exclaimed with wide eyes.

"My dear," Jack said as he placed a grimy, plaster-dust covered hand on Alan's shoulder. "The Caribbean is the most wonderful place on the Earth but there are monsters there and dark magic and all sorts of strange beasties. Consider yerself warned."

The pirate removed his hand, leaving a white handprint on the Shinigami's dark jacket. "Last the Pearl was at that fancy manor…"

Spears frowned unhappily. "Very well. We will go to Phantomhive and see if the … demon … has freed the ship from the bottle yet."

Jack sensed the man had stopped himself from saying some other word, no doubt due to Elizabeth's presence. The demon was her father.

They all jumped through the portal that Spears created and found themselves on the wide expanse of lawn in front of the stately manor. Feeling as free as a pirate could, Jack just opened the front door and walked in without bothering to ring the bell. He soon found himself facing the demon butler again. "Well, can you get the Pearl out of the bottle?"

"Of course. What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't do such a simple thing?" Sebastian smiled and bowed slightly from the waist, one white gloved hand over his chest. The dark haired man had appeared almost instantly as if he had known he had entered the perfectly decorated home.

"Then let's go free the Pearl." Jack said as his heart itched to see her properly again and not locked behind curved glass. "Let's take her down to the ocean!"

"I agree." Ciel stated from where he stood next to Sebastian, one hand on his hip. The young Earl was dressed in a fashionable dark blue outfit with black trim and black onyx buttons. Reaching up, he tore the black eye patch off of his hidden eye. "If I'm to complete the King's orders we need to free the Pearl from the bottle. Sebastian, this is an order: free the Black Pearl from the bottle and return her to the proper size."

Ciel's eye flashed, the contract glowing.

Jack saw the star and circle glow on the eye's surface and filed the knowledge away. "Very interesting."

Ciel then noticed Spears standing behind the pirate. Although the sour supervisor didn't make a big fuss about Grell's marriage to Sebastian, he didn't exactly visit either. It was no secret he still thought demons were vermin and now to suddenly find him paying an unexpected visit was suspicious if not annoying. "What do you want?"

"Mr. Sparrow has offered a cure for the Thorns of Death." Spears explained as he planted the end of his death scythe on the polished floor, the weapon gripped firmly in his black gloved hand. "He said the evidence is on his ship, so we are here to retrieve that evidence."

"There's a cure?" Ciel asked, surprised. It was no secret that Alan was sick.

"According to Sparrow." Spears replied.

"It's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow…" Jack muttered as he stared down unhappily at the irons still around his wrists. The pirate raised his dark kohl rimmed eyes to see Norrington gloating, enjoying it. The man had a sadistic streak, but he couldn't really blame him too much. They both knew that in the end Norrington always lost and Jack escaped.

"Do you require some assistance with those?" Sebastian asked politely as he indicated the irons.

"It would be appreciated, mate. Just hang onto the chain." Jack held out his hands and the demon butler gripped the chain that linked the two iron cuffs. Jack started to pull, folded his hands up as small as they could go and just like magic his hands slid out of the cuffs. The pirate grinned and flexed his fingers.

"How did you do that, Sparrow?" Norrington demanded to know, his face dark and brooding.

"Mate, the type of irons that can hold me haven't been invented yet. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" The pirate grinned, flashing gold teeth as he waved a finger in the Admiral's face. He turned on his heel and strode towards the door. "I'd be much obliged if ye bring the Pearl."

"He's the best pirate I've ever seen." Groves said with admiration in his voice.

"He's a legend." Elizabeth agreed.

"And now I'm stuck with him for all eternity." James did not sound happy with the idea.

Elizabeth threw an arm around James' shoulder. "You'll just have to learn how to get along with him. Jack isn't so bad once you get to know him. Well, there's the smell but if you overlook that…"

But her words did not sooth James at all.

Mr. Gibbs and Madam Red appeared then, the voices drawing them out from where they had been in the manor. Not trusting the demons, Mr. Gibbs still carried the large sack of extra ships on his shoulder, the bag clinking lightly with each step. Maybe Jack trusted the dark creatures but Mr. Gibbs was very superstitious and thus fearful. Still, he wanted the Pearl out of the bottle as much as Jack did. He just wasn't sure making a deal with demons was worth it.

They took a carriage down to the ocean, the pirates and navy men's hearts leaping at the sight. The waves crashed on the shore and seagulls cried overhead. The air was filled with the delicious salty breeze that they all knew so well and they breathed it in deeply. The sky was a brilliant blue overhead and a few sparse white cotton-like clouds flew high, their soft puffiness blocking the sun's ray momentarily.

Sebastian pulled the bottle out of his clothing then, the Black Pearl riding the crashing waves inside it. A storm raged within the bottle, multi-tongued forks of lightning stabbing the storm filled sky. Jack and the others watched him expectedly, waiting for the Pearl to be released. The demon pulled back his arm then as if preparing to throw the bottle out to sea. The next moment he did just that. The sun hit the glass of the bottle as it flew out over the waves, somehow staying upright instead of tumbling. Then there was a loud retort, like the crash of thunder. Then _real_ thunder rumbled overhead, the wind instantly picking up. The sky, which had been a brilliant blue just moment before, was now full of dark grayish-black storm clouds. Lightning stabbed the sky, the sky momentarily lighting up bright as day with each flash. Cold rain poured down on them, the storm a torrential tropical downpour as the wind continued to howl.

Jack gazed out to sea, his face soaking wet and his dark dreadlocks flying in the wind. The storm didn't bother him one bit as he was used to it. This was a Caribbean storm, the kind he knew and loved. He recalled Barbossa's tale of being attacked off the coast of Espanola and knew that was where this storm was originally from. He surmised many a local fishermen had been caught off guard by the demon releasing not only the Pearl but this storm as well. Hopefully none would die, as he didn't like taking lives and avoided it whenever he could. His expert eyes soon picked out the dark sails jutting up against the sky and a broad grin broke out on his face. The _Pearl_ was indeed free now and she rode the waves far off shore, her position broadside to them.

The pirate glanced up and down the beach and quickly spotted an unclaimed boat that was just sitting there upside-down. Without wasting time, he walked up to it and quickly flipped it over. Hanging onto the prow, he dragged it until it was mostly floating in the wildly crashing waves.

"Mr. Sparrow, what do you think you're doing?" Spears demanded to know as he watched the pirate's actions. "Surely you don't think you're going out there in this storm…"

Jack flashed a grin at him, gold teeth gleaming during the lightning flashes. "No time like the present, mate."

"But this storm!" Alan protested wide-eyed as he stood next to Spears. Both were soaking wet, their hair plastered to their heads and streams of water running down their faces. Neither had the advantage of a tricorne to protect them a bit from the fiercely blowing rain that came down in heavy sheets. "The ocean looks so dangerous!"

The pirate glanced at the sea, trying to imagine how the rough white-capped waves must look to a landlubber. It would be frightening, dangerous, a thing to be avoided. But the white caps and the black hull of his ship sung with the siren's call and he was bound to listen. "Me ship be unanchored and will start listing if I don't get out there. The sails are down as well and she might be blown onto rocks, so I'm going out there before her hull be smashed open on a rock."

Mr. Gibbs hurried to help him, the heavyset first mate still carrying the bag of bottles. The first mate paused besides the pilfered longboat, a hand shadowing his eyes from the stinging drops of rain. "Jack, look! Someone is lighting the lanterns on the _Pearl_!"

Jack turned to stare out at his ship and he saw it was so, Mr. Gibbs excellent eyesight having proven right once again. "I thought only that belligerent monkey was aboard the _Pearl_?"

"Well, that isn't the monkey lighting lanterns, Jack! Someone might be trying to make off with the ship already!" Gibbs said seriously as he bent to grab the edge of the longboat. Elizabeth ran up to help, bending to grab hold of the heavy boat, too, the three Navy men quickly joining her.

"Stop stealing my ship, you bloody pirates!" Jack yelled uselessly out at the ocean before leaping into the longboat. He turned to look at his new boss, the horribly dour Spears. "Well, are you coming to get the proof ye wanted or not? I'll not be making extra trips, mate. Look lively there!"

Spears hesitated, his eyes on the horribly rough waters. If anything, the storm had actually worsened since the demon had released the ship from the bottle. Still, he was immortal and the others were excellent, experienced sailors so he had little to fear. "Come along, Humphries."

Alan's green eyes widened in fright behind his glasses and swallowed a lump in his throat. Meekly he walked forward and climbed into the soaking wet longboat, sitting on the hard seat next to his supervisor. He glanced about for something to hang onto but to his horror saw nothing. Sure, he had been on ships a few times but those had been in calm weather and only for brief amounts of time to collect a soul. This, this was totally different. Even this close to shore the huge white-capped waves were rolling in and slapping him in the face with freezing sea water. The salt stung his eyes and his breath seemed to catch in his throat.

The two demons and Madame Red joined them, just barely managing to squeeze into the longboat. Madame Red, already soaked to the bone by the fierce storm, was forced to hang onto her favorite red, broad-brimmed hat or have it ripped away by the howling winds. And Ciel had no place to sit but on Sebastian's lap, as the longboat was already filled. Luckily, he was small and thin.

The longboat set out then, the Navy men and Mr. Gibbs easily rowing. Jack sat in the prow, his sharp dark eyes never leaving the _Pearl_. The boat rode low in the water as packed as it was, but it was meant for carrying a large group of people and so it had no difficulty. Still, it rose sharply and fell into the trenches between waves wildly, the vertical motion affecting the non-nautical people. Ciel and Sebastian were immune, of course, as they were demons and didn't eat anything. But the two reapers and Madame Red were not that lucky. Poor Alan took on a greenish tint and Sebastian firmly wrapped an arm about Madame Red to keep her secure in the boat, his other arm about Ciel who perched just in front of him on his lap. And Spears, well, he attempted to keep a calm demeanor but was clearly clinging to the side of the wildly heaving boat with white knuckles, the ever present hedge trimmer of his tucked across his lap – it was a miracle it didn't fall overboard. His dark hair, always so neat before, now hung in front of his face and he didn't dare let go of the boat's side for a moment to shove it away.

After what seemed like forever but was in fact only about fifteen minutes, they reached the towering side of the _Pearl_. The boards were black as night and glistened with water. Quickly Mr. Gibbs secured the longboat by tying it in place to the towering ship above them. "Well, Jack, whoever's on her didn't steal her away yet…"

"And they dropped the anchor." James pointed out. "They probably dropped the starboard anchor as well I suspect. Are you sure there isn't crew aboard her?"

"I rightly don't know, mate." Jack replied as he reached for the ladder-like steps that ran up the side of his beloved _Pearl_. The captain started to climb up the side of the ship, his grip secure even with the ship tilting this way and that with the waves. Out on the moving sea Jack's footing was always secure; it was on land that he felt funny and so held his arms aloft as if for balance. Soon he reached the railing at the top and quickly scrambled over it, his boots hitting the deck.

And there he saw the pirates waiting for him. "Oh. So it's you…"

"We knew you'd be coming, Captain, so we weighed anchor fer ye!" Pintel saluted smartly, a wide grin on his greasy face.

"We kept the ship as best as we could…" Ragetti added as he too gave a salute, a dark patch of cloth over his now empty eye socket, the wooden eye having gone to free Calypso. "We've been stuck here fer a long time with no way to escape…"

"And we're almost out of food and water!" Pintel added as he looked hopefully at Jack. "Do ye have any food on ye, Captain? We're about ready to start eating the deck, moss and all!"

Down below in the longboat, Mr. Gibbs held the boat in place while Spears tried to climb up the side of the ship. The first thing he discovered was that it was nearly impossible to climb and hang onto his beloved hedge trimmer. The wooden steps were wet and treacherously slippery, thus requiring two hands to cling to the ladder before him. But what to do with the hedge trimmer? He put a steadying hand against the _Pearl_ while he shoved his drenched hair out of his eyes. Then he just leaped up onto the deck, his boots landing with ease. Alan followed him a moment later. Shinigami could leap incredible distances and didn't need to climb up steps like a mortal did. Spears quickly made a mental note to teach the new recruits about their jumping abilities.

"Sparrow, where is this proof of yours?" Spears demanded as he watched the dirty pirate talking to two other equally filthy pirates. No, these others looked even more bedraggled if that were possible. "I would like to get it and present it to the Council as soon as possible."

"It be here somewhere…" Jack said as he sauntered about the deck of his ship, arms held aloft. He paused to rub a hand lovingly along the smooth wood of the helm, his dark eyes filled with content. "It's just you and me, darling, for all eternity just as I had always dreamed…"

James, Elizabeth, Andrew and Theo soon joined the others on the rolling deck, the motion not bothering them one bit. Then Sebastian came flying upward in a great leap, Madam Red and Ciel gripped securely in his arms. His black dress shoes landed with a thud, his tailcoats hanging in the air for a moment like a pair of black wings behind him and then gravity claimed them. Still they flapped about in the strong wind like banners, making that fluttering noise that fabric did in those cases. He carefully set Ciel on his feet and slowly loosened his grip on the woman doctor, keeping his arm close to her until she got her balance on the heaving ship.

Mr. Gibbs was the last one to climb onto the ship. He set the sack of bottles down in a secure location, his eyes darting upward to the black sails. The canvas was stretched full of the gusting winds, which was unnecessary as they were anchored and not going anywhere. "Raise the canvas!"

Pintel and Ragetti gawked at him for a moment and then ran to the ratlines to do just that. Andrew and Theo hurried to help them. This caused the two grimy pirates to pause, gawking at the two super-clean Navy fellows in confusion. The pirates were unsure if they were there to arrest them or as crew. Jack was known to hire the oddest people, even the former Commodore who loved arresting him so it wouldn't be the first time the Pirate Lord had hired Navy men. But their uniforms looked spotless and not tattered as Norrington's had when he had fallen on hard times. The two pirates glanced at each other, shrugged and then quickly climbed up the wet ratlines with speed. The four working together, they soon had the canvas tied to the spar securely.

"Mr. Sparrow…" William T. Spears called loudly as he quickly approached the dreadlocked pirate who was admiring the ship's wheel. "The proof please. I do not have all day to linger here. We have a schedule to keep and you a report to write on demons. I presume you _can_ write unlike that Turner?"

"Of course I can write, mate! I'm a _Captain_ and thus I keep a log book!" Jack sauntered away from the helm with one final caress to the wet wood and headed towards the aft cabin. "I'm sure Barbossa left it here somewhere…might take a bit to find it, mate."

Alan followed Jack and William, his green eyes downcast part of the time to make sure he didn't trip over objects. The main deck was pretty clear but there were numerous items set everywhere. Barrels of mysterious things, coils of thick rope and other assorted equipment that he had no idea what they were. The main masts rose high into the sky, their tops lost in the darkness of the storm as the light cast by the lanterns didn't extend that high. The deck kept tilting and shifting under his feet, something he was not used to. Slanted roofs were not a problem but they didn't move; the deck did. He held his arms out for balance, the end of his garden slasher helping when propped against the deck as a cane. He followed the other two into a large cabin and sighed with relief to be out of the storm.

Jack peered about the cabin, lifting things here and there. He quickly lit the lanterns and candles around the room, the tossing sea visible through the large slanted windows at the back of the _Pearl_. The added light helped him see better and soon a glint of gold caught the pirate's eye. He went straight to it and picked it up from the bookcase where it sat. The large golden coin was heavy in his hand. He took a moment to run his thumb over the carved metal, feeling each bump and curved surface. A skull looked back up at him, the skull set in the middle of the coin. Grinning, the pirate turned to regard the grim man. "Here be part of the proof, mate, one of the enchanted Aztec coins!"

Alan's heart leaped at the unexpected words and he dashed forward to see it. He hadn't realized the pirate had one on his ship! But there it was, larger than he had imagined and with a skull on it no less. Shinigami liked skulls and Alan sported one on his bolo tie, the tiny metal skull acting as the bit that held the two ends of tie secure about his neck. And Grell wore skulls on his glasses, the skulls dangling just below the red frames. "You have one here? I thought we had to go all the way to the Caribbean to get it!"

Jack handed the cursed coin over to the Shinigami, placing it in his outstretched palm. "Don't get your hopes up, mate. _That_ one won't do you any good. You need to actually remove a coin from the chest itself for it to actually do anything. That's the rules set down by the heathen gods…"

A loud angry screeching split the air then and the next moment something leaped onto Alan's shoulder, startling him. The ill Shinigami stumbled backward in utter surprise, his green-yellow eyes growing wide behind his seemingly frameless glasses. A horrible _thing_ stuck its head in front of his face then, all matted wet fur and teeth. It made that horrible sound again and then stole the coin out of his open palm, a long curved tail hitting him in the face as the creature turned. And then it leaped upward off of him and leaving him with a quickly pounding heart and unanswered questions as to what it was.

"Wait, wait!" Jack called as he raced forward, his pistol waving in the air. "Come back!"

The pistol fired, hitting the monkey and the golden coin fell to the deck of the cabin with a loud clink, spinning about rapidly before settling on one side. The pirate hurried to get the coin before it was stolen again. "I hate that thing! That belligerent monkey is only good when I get the urge to shoot something!"

"A monkey?" Alan asked wide-eyed. He had never seen a monkey before, not a real one anyway – he had only seen drawings.

"Aye, a monkey." Jack replied with a grimace. "And we have to catch the thing somehow as it's the proof we need! It's under the curse right now…"

"A monkey is your evidence?" Spears stated, clearly shocked.

"It's an undead monkey, a rare commodity! What more do ye want?" The pirate cast Spears a look as if to suggest that _he_ were the insane one and not the pirate. "Even Tia Dalma was happy to accept it."

Spears sighed heavily at the words. "Very well. We'll take the monkey and the coin to the Council. Does it have a cage?"

"Of course it does." Jack said as he lifted a domed bird cage. "Its catching the thing that's near impossible!"

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" Sebastian said as he entered the captain's cabin, Ciel and Madame Red with him. The demon butler moved as fast as lightning, leaping across the room with ease and easily gripping the monkey about its body. The creature hissed in anger, showing four pointed teeth near the sides of its mouth. Sebastian landed on the floor smoothly and held the creature without any trouble at all. No matter how it twisted and turned it could not escape and soon it was trust forward into its cage, the door securely closed.

"Well, that went a _lot_ faster than I had thought…" Jack stated as he looked upon the demon with new eyes, thinking. His dark kohl-rimmed eyes then shifted to the young earl who stood just inside the cabin, his aunt near his side. Both looked like drowned bilge rats, their hair pasted to their heads and water forming a puddle around their feet. Jack moved forward then and stopped in front of Ciel. He bent forward slightly, one hand held aloft to show shining rings. "Tell me my good Earl, why does that bloody King still want that Fountain? I mean, haven't we done that whole bit already or is there something I missed?"

"He wants us to claim it for England." Ciel explained as he pushed sopping wet hair out of his blue eye. "The ship he sent out before apparently never returned."

"Yes, yes, but what about the Spanish?" Jack asked as he bent lower to see Ciel better. "Surely they have already returned, aye?"

"No, they haven't." Ciel informed him. "King George II said _none_ of the ships have returned, including the Spanish."

"Well, that doesn't make any bloody sense!" Jack scowled as he straightened and gazed up at the ceiling of the cabin for unknown reasons. "Even if they stopped off in Espanola to pick up loot they would have had plenty of time to get back by now…It's not _that_ far. I got back just fine and with a roundabout route no less!"

"Perhaps they were sunk?" Sebastian offered.

"With a fleet of three ships that's unlikely. They're not merchants' mind you but well armed frigates. Even Barbossa would think twice about attacking 'em." Jack paced about the cabin a bit. He paused, spying a dirt-incrusted bottle lying in the corner. Bending, he picked it up and upended it. "Bloody empty! Why is the rum always gone? How can I think straight without rum? Mr. Gibbs!"

"Yes, Captain?" Mr. Gibbs appeared in the doorway and awaited orders. The first mate was soaking wet but that didn't bother him one bit.

"Where is the rum, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked as he shook the empty dirty bottle at the heavyset man.

"I'm afraid Captain the ship's stores are totally depleted. Seems even the rats are gone…" Gibbs shrugged, an apologetic look on his whiskered face.

"Eating rats…" Jack shivered at the thought. "We need to resupply at once! And go heavy on the ball and gunpowder. Something has apparently befallen that Spaniard fellow and I fear it bodes ill for us."

"Aye, Captain." Mr. Gibbs turned to go.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called to his first mate. "Now that the _Pearl _is restored to me, I shall have me map back. Kindly hand it over, aye?"

Mr. Gibbs' eyes took on a wide and panicked appearance. "The map, Captain?"

"Aye, the map. Ye know, the unique circular charts…" Jack added as his gaze grew darker, his eyes hooded in suspicion. "Ye _do_ have the charts, do you not Mr. Gibbs?"

The first mate gulped. Suddenly all eyes were on him and he stammered nervously. "I … I don't have 'em, Captain."

"You don't _have_ them? Well, who _does_ have them?" Jack demanded to know, his voice going up a few notes louder and higher.

"Nobody!" Mr. Gibbs bravely admitted as he stared down at his wet shoes. "They were sort of … burned."

"You _burned_ my maps, the unique charts of Sao Feng, _those_ charts?" Jack yelled at his now cowering first mate, his dark eyes flashing with anger.

"I'm sorry, Captain! Barbossa was going to kill me! He had the noose ready and all. It was a desperate act! I'll make it up to you somehow Captain, I promise!" The words rushed out of Mr. Gibbs mouth one after the other, a fearful look on his face.

Jack patted the magic compass that hung on his belt, frowning. "I still got me compass…"

Mr. Gibbs sighed and slunk out of the room as silently as possible.

"Mr. Sparrow…" William T. Spears said once the commotion about the map died down. "What is this about a fountain?"

"Captain Sparrow is taking us to the Fountain of Youth on orders of King George II." Ciel explained as he turned to stare at the grim reaper with his single exposed eye, hands on hips as if daring him to say otherwise. "We are to claim it for England."

"I thought we're going to get this chest of magic coins…" Spears tore his eyes off the young demon to look at the pirate.

"We're doing both!" Jack declared loudly. "We'll go to Isla de Muerta first and then onward to the Fountain? Savvy?"

Spears face darkened at the news. "You're saying the _vermin_ are going on this voyage with us?"

"We're not vermin!" Ciel hotly replied, his blue eye flashing with indignation. "We're demons."

Jack's dark eyes shifted from one group to the other realizing he had a problem on his hands. The two groups apparently didn't get along very well or perhaps it was just Spears causing trouble. He was uptight, annoying and a stickler for rules. Jack took that moment to wave a hand high in the air. "Just so you know, this ship does have cells on it for people who annoy the Captain, that being me, or those who otherwise cause trouble on board. Savvy?"

The dreadlocked pirate grinned at them then, hoping the message sunk in. He would not have fighting aboard his ship.

Spears grimaced at the words and picked up the cage with the monkey. "Let's not waste any more time but get this to the Council. _If_ this evidence is as good as you say it is, they should quickly approve our voyage for this miracle cure."

Jack reluctantly followed the dour unimaginative man out of his cabin. But no matter what the Council declared the Pirate Lord knew one thing: he was sailing for the Caribbean!

TBC…


	8. The Council Meeting

Jack Sparrow 8

When Jack emerged from his cabin he saw that the storm had faded and the sky was rapidly clearing. He quickly made for the helm and stopped there. "Mr. Gibbs!"

"Aye, Captain?" Mr. Gibbs still looked nervous, his whiskered face worried about what the captain might say next. Jack was one for holding grudges and he knew the unique map had meant a lot to him. Still, he waited nearby for orders while fearing the worst.

"We have just enough hands to bring her in to port." Jack stated as he stood behind the helm with his hands resting on the large wooden wheel.

"Aye, that we do." Mr. Gibbs agreed as it took at least six people to sail the Black Pearl. "But do you mean London, Captain? That be a bit dangerous don't you think?"

"The King wants the Fountain and he'll naught do us anything." Jack declared as he caressed the wet wood of the ship's wheel, his many rings flashing in the sunlight. "We need to resupply. Bring us in to port."

"Raise anchor and drop canvas!" Mr. Gibbs shouted as he hurried off to watch the scant crew that was on board. Elizabeth hurried to haul one of the anchors up while Mr. Gibbs handled the other one. Pintel, Ragetti, Andrew, Theo and James took care of the sails. Setting the sails took longer than usual as there were three masts of sails and only a handful of people but they were all experienced hands and it was quickly done. Jack then spun the wheel and the ship turned while Mr. Gibbs had the crew busy hauling up the purloined longboat on winches. Soon they pulled up to an empty dock and the anchor was dropped again. Mr. Gibbs was then ordered to find an able body crew and to buy supplies. It was also the first mates job to go over every inch of the ship to look for problems, like worn ropes, and to have it repaired or replaced.

Ciel graciously offered to pay for the supplies as he knew the King would more than pay him back upon his return to London with the Fountain claimed.

The gangplank was lowered and Jack ambled down it, hands held aloft. There he met the harbormaster. Spears, Alan, Ciel, Sebastian and Madam Red were right behind him. Unfortunately for Jack, the harbormaster was busy studying a Wanted Poster of Jack Sparrow. The man, who was neatly dressed in a powdered wig, tricorne and an expensive frockcoat, glanced from the poster to the pirate. Then his eyes rose to the very unique black ship that had just moored there.

Jack strolled right past him, paying him no mind.

"Hold up there!" The harbormaster called to the pirate. "Is that the Black Pearl?"

Jack paused, staring at the man with his kohl rimmed eyes. "Of course not, mate! It be the _Wicked Wench_. Do you rightly believe that a _pirate_ ship and not just any pirate ship but the world's most _famous_ pirate ship, would dock right here in London? Do you believe pirates would be that bold and stupid?"

"But it's black…" The man replied, an unsure look on his face now. He then looked at the Wanted Poster again and showed it to the pirate. "And you look just like the pirate in this drawing…"

Jack made a show of bending forward and peering at the drawing. He shook his head, the dreadlocks flying and beads clinking. "I don't resemble that man at all. I'm too tall to be him. You need to get your eyes checked, mate."

"But…" The now confused harbormaster stammered, unsure how he could tell a man's height from a facial drawing. "Are you Jack Sparrow?"

"Of course not!" Jack promised as he dug in his pocket. "The name's Smith."

He moved his hand smoothly above the man's open ledger and four shillings magically appeared. He stared at the man, bending forward just a bit. "For docking me ship."

A wide grin appeared on the other man's face at the sight of the coins. Jack had paid him more coin than the docking fee required. "Welcome to London, Mr. Smith."

Just after that Jack found himself dragged into a narrow alley between two buildings, away from prying eyes. Spears glared at him, his green ringed eyes dark with unshed emotion. "Are you saying that _you're_ the mysterious Smith you told me about previously, the one that supposedly changed you into a Shinigami and vanished?"

Jack's dark eyes grew wide at the words. "Of course not! How could I be he? A mortal can't get to your office to get them potions now can they?"

Alan looked from Jack to William, watching the two men argue as to whether or not Jack was indeed the mysterious Smith.

"You are a liar, Mr. Sparrow. Half of the things you say seem to be made up. I just heard you tell that official there that your ship is called the _Wicked Wench_ when she is the _Black Pearl_. Do you deny that?"

"But mate, she _is_ the _Wicked Wench_!" Jack exclaimed with a brilliant smile of golden teeth. "That was her previous name, before she was sunk by that Beckett fellow. She was set afire and sunk. I had her raised from the depths by Davey Jones and when she came up, she was all black like ye see her now. That black is soot from the fire that burned her, mate; it's not paint or some kind of stain. She's been to the Locker and back twice now. Surely you realize the best way to tell a lie is with the truth, aye?"

Spears sighed, putting a hand to his aching head, his hedge trimmer tucked in the nook of his elbow for the moment. The other hand was holding the cage with the screeching monkey. Jack and the monkey named Jack (which Spears at the moment was not aware of) together was giving him the worst headache ever. "That makes no sense! A lie cannot be the truth and the truth cannot be a lie."

Jack shrugged, uncaring if the man didn't understand logic. He noticed how the sour man was looking him up and down as if examining him. The pirate decided he didn't like it. "I'm not some horse for sale, so stop eying me that way…"

"I need to take you before the Council and you cannot go looking like _this_. You're a mess and it will reflect badly on me. If I ever find out who made you a Shinigami…" Spears threatened as he stepped closer, his nose wrinkling in utter disgust. "When was the last time you bathed? You look as filthy as those other horrible pirates!"

"But mate, we all just washed!" Jack exclaimed loudly, a confused look on his face. "Do ye not remember the pounding rain and wind, the storm from Espanola?"

A horrified sound escaped Spears lips at that statement.

"But that wasn't bathing!" Alan said with wide eyes. "That was rain!"

"Aye and it does just fine if ye ask me. We got all wet and so did our clothes. We should be good now until the next dunk in the sea, aye?" Jack grinned at them hopefully, but his hope died when the other two didn't grin back. His smile turned into a frown. Both of them in his opinion were unnaturally clean. "Surely you don't expect me to use that soap stuff? It's highly overrated I tell you!"

"This is worst than I fear…" Spears grimaced with disgust. "I had presumed being a Shinigami normally kept one tidy and clean, as blood vanishes from our clothes like magic but it seems to do nothing for you at all. You smell worst than a week-old corpse during midsummer."

Jack raised an arm and sniffed at it cautiously. "I don't smell anything…"

"Of course you don't! You're nose is used to the stench!" Spears turned to Alan. "We'll have to wash him before taking him to the Council. He cannot possibly go looking like this…"

"Wait, what?" Alan took on a panicked expression at the words. "I don't want to wash him!"

"I agree!" Jack shouted loudly. "This not be dirt, it be suntan!"

"I fear it's a multiple person job…" Setting the bird cage with the monkey down and leaning his hedge trimmer against the side of a building, he reached out and grabbed Sparrow's arm. He shoved the pirate's white sleeve up to see strange markings. There was an odd looking "P" and a bird flying over stylized waves along with other strange things. More prominent was a huge spot of circular dirt near his thumb. Spears fingers were snowy white next to Jack's deep tropical tan. "Disgusting! All of this will have to come off…"

"Those are tattoos, mate. They're permanent. And that brown there, that's from the sun…"

"And where are your glasses? How can you see anything without wearing them? All grim reapers are to wear glasses!" Spears dug in his pocket and found a few coins. "I fear I'll have to waste good coin on scrub brushes…"

Jack reached into a hidden pocket on his person and pulled out the fake glasses he had used while impersonating the judge. The lenses contained only plain glass and not the eye-correcting glass real glasses used. Quickly he stuck them on his face. He didn't like the sound of the scrub brush thing at all. In fact it sounded right painful. This immortality thing was getting to be a real pain, but he itched to go on the trip.

"Better. Now keep them on your face!" Spears ordered in a strict voice. "You're going to bathe and I don't want any arguments from you."

The pirate's fingers played along the hilt of his pistol but he resisted pulling it out of his belt. Shooting the annoying man wouldn't do any good at all. "I suppose I could _possibly_ take a bath…"

Jack imagined a nice bath with a bottle of rum, maybe a few pretty wenches tossed in. They could giggle in the bubbles and he could tell them about each scar on his body. And then they could do other more interesting things…it could be most agreeable. Jack flourished a hand in the air and poked Spears on his thin chest. "I shall agree if you provide rum and wenches to go along with the bath, otherwise the answer is no!"

"Why do you want wrenches?" Spears asked stupidly.

"No, no, I said wenches, w-e-n-c-h-e-s, females!" Jack explained as he waved both hands about in the air to make a curvy figure eight shape.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Spears jabbed Jack in the head with his hedge trimmer, knocking him out. Once he was unconscious, the Shinigami supervisor bent down and grabbed him by one wrist. Turning his head towards Alan, he nodded towards the bird cage. "Bring the monkey."

And so Sparrow was dragged back to the office where he awoke to a loud commotion. The others had returned from collecting the souls on their lists and had been busy writing reports until Spears had arrived with Alan and Jack in tow.

"And I'm not going to wash him!" Eric glared at Spears. "He's old enough to do it himself!"

"Well, someone has to…" Spears glanced around the office but most of the workers had made themselves scarce. It seemed no one wanted to get stuck with the job of washing the dirty pirate. Ronald's fingers flew across his typewriter, the blonde's head bowed in his work. He seemed to be keeping an extra low profile and hoping he wasn't chosen for the dirty job.

And Alan had chickened out, embarrassed by the mere suggestion.

"Get that demon to do it." Eric suggested as his eyes fell on Grell. "I bet he could just wave his hand and poof, the guy would be clean!"

"And owe that vermin a favor?" Spears shook his head. "I'd rather live with the stench. It's bad enough I had to apologize to him once."

"Spray him with perfume…" Alan mimicked using a spray bottle with his fingers. "Maybe the body odor could be covered up?"

It was decided that the perfume was the best idea and Grell was ordered to bring some in from his apartment. Spears took the offered bottle and sprayed Sparrow with it, the dreadlocked pirate standing there with a confused look on his face. The fake spectacles were still perched on his nose and a borrowed necktie was tied about his neck. His shirt was tattered somewhat and the cuffs worn, which Spears hated but they couldn't find another shirt that would fit the man. And when they had the pirate trying on various shirts, they had all gasped in shock at the multiple designs all over his chest, back, sides and arms. They had never seen anything like it.

And so with just fake spectacles and the added necktie, Jack was dragged off to see the Shinigami Council in his regular pirate outfit. The Council was a group of twelve older Shinigami and they sat on benches up higher than the rest of the court room. They looked grim and proper, an older form of William T Spears really. For the life of him, Jack couldn't tell one from another. The Shinigami, it seemed, were an unimaginative lot that were addicted to eyewear, neckties and dour expressions.

Grell, Alan, Eric and Ronald settled themselves in the back of the courtroom eager to hear what the council would say. Would they really let them go on a trip all the way to the Caribbean? It seemed impossible but apparently Spears thought it halfway likely. Grell's heart beat rapidly, hoping it was true, as he didn't want to be separated from Sebastian for months on end.

William T. Spears moved to the front of the courtroom then and faced the Council. As always he was perfectly dressed in his dark suit, black gloves, perfectly knotted tie and his glasses were straight on his nose, the lenses shiny and clean. His hair was parted with perfection; not a hair out of place. His ever-present hedge trimmer was leaning against a nearby chair. He turned to face the Council. "You asked if I had proof of the cure I mentioned earlier, the one for the Thorns of Death. I have brought the proof. A new recruit, Mr. Sparrow, has it."

Jack was sitting in a chair near the front, the monkey in the cage at his feet. He saw Spears indicate him with a hand and so the pirate climbed to his boots, a confident grin on his face. "There be this island that can't be found unless you already know where it is. It be Isla de Muerta and on that island there be a cave and in that cave a chest of enchanted Aztec coins…"

The pirate produced the coin from on his person and held it aloft so the Council members could see it. The gold glittered in the harsh artificial lighting of the courtroom. Jack rolled the coins across his fingers, the coin jumping from finger to finger with ease. "And anyone who draws one of these coins from that chest cannot die. This monkey here has taken _this_ coin out of the chest and now he be undead!"

Jack bent to pick up the bird cage, shooting the monkey within with his pistol. The monkey screeched its outrage, showing the pirate sharp teeth. Delighted that he had proved his case, Jack held the cage high for the council to see that the monkey was still alive and uninjured. "See? It didn't bother him one bit!"

One of the Council members leaned forward, interested. "You're Captain Jack Sparrow?"

"Aye, that be me!" Jack grinned, pleased that they had apparently heard of him.

"You're the same Jack Sparrow that died several years ago, the one that was swallowed by a … kraken?" The Council member shifted some papers about, having to look up the details. Once he said the name of the unfamiliar giant beast, he lifted his green-ringed eyes off of the paper to look at the pirate expectedly.

"Aye." Jack admitted a bit uncertainly as he was unsure where that question was going. "What of it?"

"How did you become alive again?" The Council member asked.

"Because I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" The pirate grinned as he quickly realized the older man didn't know any of the secrets, the one about the green flash and so forth. "I just know these sorts of things, mate. I've spent a lifetime chasing them and finding them out. It's what I do and why I know about the Aztec coins. I know exactly where they are, mate, and I'll lead yer fellows' right to them."

"I say that he knew how to escape the Locker proof of his claims, that and the unkillable monkey." One Council member said.

"Undead, it's an undead monkey…" Jack muttered, pondering if the older gents even knew what the term meant. There was a difference between immortality and being undead. If they didn't know, well, who was he to tell them? Minor trifles really, right? Nothing was perfect.

Soon all of the Council members agreed that Jack Sparrow was the best thing to happen to the London Dispatch as he had the cure for the dread disease.

"Woah…" Ronald gasped with an open mouth and wide eyes. "_He's_ the best thing? Really? That's shocking! He can't even bathe proper!"

Grell bubbled over with excitement as he thought of the long dreamy trip with his Sebas-chan. It took all of his willpower to stay seated and to not skyrocket up to the ceiling. He was going to see the world while cling to his demon's strong arm!

Alan sighed with relief and Eric wiped tears from his eyes as he put an arm around Alan's thin shoulders.

Then the lead Council member rose. "William T. Spears, you will take your Dispatch Officers and go acquire this chest of enchanted Aztec coins. We will take up your duties in your absence until you return. A journey to the Caribbean and back will take many months if not longer. Since your new recruits are from that area and are familiar with ships, they should prove useful on the journey. Train them en route."

Spears bowed to the Council and then lead the others out of the courtroom. The long trip loomed in front of them and he was unsure what to expect. He made a mental note to ask the pirate if they should bring anything in particular besides the usual luggage. The supervisor then grabbed the redhead by his sleeve, yanking him away from the others. "Grell, go down to London and bring the rest of the recruits up here. They're by the _Black Pearl_ who's at the dock."

Eager to see Sebastian, Grell hurried off on his new mission.

"The rest of you, go finish your reports. And as for you Sparrow, I believe you have a report on demons to write…" With that said, Spears headed off to his office deep in thought. Something about the whole thing was bugging him. Now that he had discovered that Sparrow himself was the mysterious Smith, he pondered how the dreadlocked pirate had gotten the potion. A mortal, no matter how clever he was, couldn't get up here and that meant someone had helped him. Seeing that the scoundrel was friends with Elizabeth, he suspected she or else Grell had gotten their hands on a potion. But how? Grell hadn't asked for another potion nor had anyone else.

Reaching the office he headed to his cabinet and peered within. Almost instantly he saw that several bottles of the magic potion were missing! And that wasn't the only thing. That confiscated pistol was gone as well. An icy cold sensation traveled down his spine when he realized he had been robbed. Slowly he reached out for the cabinet door, sure to find it unlocked. His black-gloved hand made contact and he paused, holding his breath. Then he tried to pull it open but it refused to budge. "So it _is_ locked…but how did they steal the potions and pistol then?"

He practically smacked himself in the head then. What was he thinking? They were _pirates_! Of course they knew how to unlock doors with some tools of some sort. He would have to deal with the thievery somehow, yet the Council believed it had turned out for the best. Without Jack becoming a Shinigami, Alan very well might have died. And although he acted cold and emotionless, he didn't want the ill man to perish. Humphries was a reliable worker and always got his work handed in on time. He followed the rules and didn't stir up trouble as some others did.

His feeling mixed up and not knowing what to think of the peculiar situation, Spears collapsed into his chair to think.

000

Grell popped down into London near the peers, the redhead having the entire city and surrounding countryside memorized. Finding the _Black Pearl_ took only moments as it was the only ship sporting sails as black as night. The Shinigami paused a moment to take in the first real sight of it, an electric thrill shooting through his thin body. Soon it would be taking him on a far away adventure to exotic places and it just seemed too incredible to be true! The trip would help him understand his daughter better; to see the places she had seen as hearing about it and actually being there are totally different.

He walked closer and saw a crowd of red coated marines around the ship. Just past them and standing on the pier along the ship he could make out Ciel and Sebastian. As always, his heart skipped a beat at seeing his demon. He wanted to leap over there in a huge display of love but couldn't due to the humans gathered there as it would just confuse them. The meeting, whatever it was, must have ended and the marines left. Grell raced over and flung himself into Sebastian's arms, the demon catching him and wrapping his arms about him in return. "Oh Sebas-chan! The Council has approved the trip! I can go with you now to the Caribbean!"

"That is wonderful, Grell." Sebastian replied as he momentarily buried his nose in the reaper's hair.

"What did those marines want?" Grell asked as he rested his head on the demon's chest, his eyes closed in pleasure. He could feel the butler's hands on his back, the pleasant warmth going through his layers of clothing. The floating dock moved up and down gently beneath his feet, the movement causing a pleasant little sensation in his stomach. It wasn't often he went onto boats so it was a thing he noticed right away.

"There was confusion about the _Black Pearl_ being a wanted pirate ship." Ciel explained in his regal tone. "I cleared it up, of course."

Reluctantly Grell pulled himself away from Sebastian, sighing. Even after being married all of these years he couldn't get enough of the demon and truly enjoyed every moment with him. The best part in his opinion was the fact they were both immortal so they could be together forever. "William sent me down to bring the rest of the recruits in. Are they on the ship?"

"They are." Sebastian confirmed as he led the way up onto the famous ship, Grell and Ciel following him. They soon found Elizabeth sitting on the steps that led up to the poop deck. It had always been one of her favorite spots to sit.

"I thought I'd never see her again…" Elizabeth stated from where she sat watching the black sails move gently, the wind at the moment having no energy. Her life had always seemed to be tied up with the _Pearl_. She had no idea as to why but it did seem that way. "I first saw her all of those years ago on the crossing from England. We had just hauled Will out of the water and saw the burning wreck of a merchant ship. I moved to the rail to watch and the fog parted then. And there she was, the _Black Pearl_. Her sails were all tattered with thousands of holes, yet she was still the fastest ship in the Caribbean. She was under the curse then, captained by Hector Barbossa. And since then I've sailed on her many times."

Grell looked at his daughter with interest. He hadn't realized that this ship had played such an important role in his daughter's life. "So this ship keeps coming back to you?"

"It does." Elizabeth confirmed as she thought of the numerous times she had been aboard. "I was held captive aboard it when I was kidnapped by pirates. That was the first time I was on the _Pearl_ and met Captain Barbossa."

"And we were the ones that kidnapped her!" Pintel bragged as he stuck out his chest with pride, his bald greasy head gleaming in the sunlight. He patted his partner in crime, Ragetti, on the shoulder.

Grell turned to regard the dirty pirate, his green-yellow eyes practically glowing with anger at the words. "You kidnapped my daughter?"

"She aint your daughter!" Pintel said hotly as he glared at the redhead. "Her father was that swanky Governor of Port Royale and you aint him. He died and we saw him in the Locker in one of them little row boats! Isn't that right, Ragetti?"

Ragetti nodded. "We knows all about Poppet!"

"I'm not her father!" Grell exclaimed loudly. "I'm her mother!"

"You aint her mother!" Pintel cast him a weird look. "You're a man!"

"I am a she not a he!" Grell insisted as he stomped his red-and-black boot on the deck. His long hair quivered and his body trembled with indignation at being called once again by a male pronoun. His arms stiffened and his black gloved hands tightened into fists. His lip curled then to reveal a few shark-like teeth.

"Oh dear…" Sebastian placed a white-gloved hand to his forehead, sighing. "This happens every time it seems…"

Pintel gulped at the sight of the teeth and put a nervous grin on his face. "You can be a she if you want!"

"We saved her from the kraken!" Ragetti quickly added for good measure. "Its tentacle had her by the leg and I cuts it off with an axe, the tentacle I mean and not her leg."

Elizabeth leaped to her feet and wrapped her arms about Grell. "Grell is my mother. I know it's hard to believe but it's true."

"Really?" Pintel stared at them in confusion and then shrugged. Both of the pirates were used to odd stuff.

"Yes she is." Elizabeth confirmed. She then placed a hand on Sebastian's arm. "And Sebastian is my father. They're my real parents and I just found them recently. And before you ask, Pintel and Ragetti are my friends."

"Yeah," Pintel nodded with a tough look in his slightly yellowish eyes. "We'd smash anyone that lays a hand on our Poppet."

The pirate's stomach rumbled loudly and Pintel took on an embarrassed look. "We've been stuck on this ship for months! That stupid Blackbeard caught us with his voodoo and stuck it inside a bottle! Don't know how the Captain got it out but it was just in time!"

Ragetti stuck his nose up in the air, sniffing. "I smell food!"

"Look! It's London!" Pintel shouted with a pointing finger! "It's ours for the taking!"

Laughing with glee, the two filthy pirates ran off to go steal unguarded food. They almost ran over Madame Red who was coming over to join the others after peering about the deck with curiosity. They skidded around her and quickly dashed down the gangplank onto the peer.

"How exciting!" Madame Red exclaimed as she clasped her two hands together in front of her body. "An ocean cruise! I should go pack my things!"

Ciel took on a surprised look, his blue eye going wide at the words. "You're not coming."

"Of course I am!" She laughed as she gave him a tight hug. "Surely you don't think I'm going to stay here by myself while you go on this vacation?"

"It's not a vacation!" Ciel insisted hotly as he squeezed out of her grasp. His feathered black-and-white tricorne had fallen off of his head in the struggle and he quickly snatched it back up, wiping invisible dust off of it. "It's Watchdog business! It might be dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Yes, sailing on the _Black Pearl_ can be very dangerous." Elizabeth quickly agreed. "Jack is usually involved in some mess or something. If you saw the kraken that attacked this ship the last time, well, you wouldn't be so eager to come!"

But Madame Red waved her hand, dismissing it all. With two demons and her butler being a grim reaper, what did she have to worry about? "I wonder what I should pack? Do you have any idea, Grell?"

Ciel sighed, giving up. "Sebastian and I will try to protect you the best we can."

"It's hot and sunny out in the Caribbean, so a hat and protection from the sun." Elizabeth informed them. "But there isn't very much room on this ship. Once Jack gets his crew it'll be very tight quarters, so don't think of bringing tons of luggage. This isn't a passenger ship and you're unlikely to get a private room so don't expect that either."

"Oh?" Madame Red blinked her red eyes at her innocently as she thought about the matter, throwing an arm about Ciel. "It's a great opportunity to spend more time with my darling nephew."

Before Ciel could reply, James and his two lieutenants appeared. The smartly dressed admiral turned his eyes to Elizabeth. "What are you going to do with the _Empress_?"

"I really haven't thought about it." Elizabeth answered truthfully. "There's been too much going on and I still have that report to write. What do you think I should do with it? You're more experienced with ships than I am."

"Knowing Sparrow the way I do," James remarked dryly and somewhat sarcastically. "I think we should bring it along, as insurance. That man can never hang onto a ship and I for one don't want to get stuck in the middle of the ocean without one."

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked as the young earl turned his full attention to the admiral, curiosity on his face.

"I mean calamity follows Sparrow everywhere." James replied with a frown. "Think, why do you think he came _here_?"

Grell shrugged and Ciel glanced up at Sebastian looking for an answer.

"He came here because his ship was stuck in that bottle and that magic compass led him to the people who could fix it for him." James answered his own question. "Do you really think it's _normal_ for one man to have problems with undead pirates, a kraken, fish-men, the _Flying Dutchman_, people who practice voodoo and if that wasn't enough he was talking of man-eating mermaids? Then consider what he hasn't told you. Unknown people are probably gunning for Sparrow at this very moment and he's going to drag you into his mess."

"You forgot Calypso…" Elizabeth added as she gazed at her betrothed somewhat unhappily. She recalled how eager he had been to hang Jack in the office. But James was right about one thing: Jack did have a bad habit of losing the _Pearl_, mainly to other pirates. "James, you're going to have to learn how to get along with Jack. It's a long trip and you can't be at each other's throat the entire way. But we should bring the _Empress_ along as well. It's not as large as the _Pearl_ but could be useful."

Elizabeth turned to her father. "Can you put the _Empress_ in a bottle like the _Pearl_ was?"

Sebastian smiled as he bowed with a hand over his heart. "Of course. What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't do such a simple thing?"

"Thank you Father." Elizabeth replied with a grateful smile.

"We should head back to the office." Grell told his daughter and the three Navy men. "I'm sure by now William is wondering what's taking me so long."

Grell created the portal and they all jumped through. They headed to the office and soon met William T. Spears again. For some unknown reason her new supervisor was giving her the evil eye and Elizabeth feared he had discovered the thievery. She tore her green eyes off of him though, trying her best to ignore the cold glare that were stabbing her in the back. She settled at her desk and picked up the book, the book which she had only read partway through. Nor had she studied the weird writing instrument yet, the one that looked very complicated and made odd clicking sounds.

Then to everyone's amazement Spears made an announcement. "We're all going outside. Come along…"

Elizabeth glanced at the other Shinigami but they all seemed equally clueless as to what this was about. Still, she rose from her chair and followed her mother out through the door. Spears led them past the new pier for the _Flying Dutchman_ and onwards towards the Grim Reaper Library. Once near the massive building he stopped, turning to regard them."

"Soon we're going to be leaving for the Caribbean on Mr. Sparrow's ship, the _Black Pearl_. While…"

Jack interrupted the dark suited man. "It's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow…"

"Excuse me, on _Captain_ Sparrow's ship." William duly noted the borrowed necktie was already missing from around the filthy pirate's neck. Heaven knew what he did with it. "And as I was going to say, while there are things I can teach you en route to the Caribbean, there are certain things that is much safer to learn here. One of them is your new jumping abilities…"

Jack frowned and rubbed the top of his head. He recalled all too well how he had banged his head on the ceiling from a simple leap.

"You may not realize it yet, but as grim reapers you can easily jump off of roofs and fly right over the tree tops with ease." Spears turned to face the huge Library building. It was very much like the fancy courthouses and other official buildings in London. Made of white stone, it had a triangular porch roof held up by giant circular columns, the roof as tall as a two floor home. A giant dome was over the main building, impossibly high to their eyes.

Elizabeth's stomach was beginning to get that odd nervous feeling and she feared what he may say next, but it was all too easy to figure out really.

"You don't think…" She heard Andrew whisper to Theo. Their feelings matched hers exactly.

The experienced grim reapers stood there perfectly calm. Eric had a bored expression pasted on his face, Alan was dutifully listening to every word Spears was saying, Ronald was busy looking in a little notebook and Grell was making the hand sign for "Love" while whispering his favorite DEATH phrase. Nor could the redhead stand still. He was moving up and back behind William, his red coat floating in the air behind him and paused every few minutes to wave at them. Elizabeth sighed. Her mother really seemed to think he was a celebrity.

"Now you're going to take turns jumping up there, reach the top of the dome and then come back down." Spears explained as he clutched his hedge trimmer. "I realize it sounds impossible but I assure you it will be easier than you think. I hope none of you fear heights?"

Elizabeth shook her head. Heights didn't bother her and she had climbed the rigging on that merchant ship, the _Edinburg Trader_, which had taken her to Tortuga.

James snickered. "Are you kidding? Midshipmen do far more dangerous things than that, in storms no less."

"Good." Spears replied. He sounded somewhat pleased but his face did not show it. "Now who will demonstrate for the recruits? We must do this now as I fear if we do it on the ship someone is liable to fall overboard."

The dour supervisor turned around and grabbed Grell by his arm, catching him in the process of making another "love" hand sign. "Since you insist on wearing that ridiculous red coat, a coat which is so easily visible, why don't you show them what we can do?"

"Of course, Will!" Grell grinned his shark-toothed smile and leaped up onto the porch roof with ease. A moment later he was at the top of the dome clinging to the golden cross that decorated the very top with just one hand. He stood on one red-and-black boot, the other leg stretched out in the open air. His long red hair and the red coat trailed in the breeze that blew at that height. He seemed careless and at ease way up there with not a worry in the world.

And then he simply jumped off!

Elizabeth's heart jumped up into her throat and a weird cold rush went through her. She kept forgetting she was immortal now and seeing her mother just jump off a roof so high scared her half to death. She heard shocked noises coming from the others and she herself had made a gasping sound no lady should utter; a loud intake of air. She darted forward, frantic to see if her mother would be all right and to her relief he was. But she had to make sure and she ran up to him, gripping him by his shoulders.

"Oh, did I scare you, Darling?" Grell asked as he realized the simple demonstration had clearly freaked her out. "I assure you I'm perfectly fine! We do this sort of thing all the time! Your father can do it as well."

"Ah, I see we have our first volunteer." Spears's voice said from somewhere to her left. Suddenly she was grabbed by the wrist and hauled away from her mother. She turned and saw the black haired man gloating at her, a somewhat sinister expression in his green eyes. Then he shoved a little black book at her and she accepted it, confused as to what it was for. She feared this was his revenge for stealing the potions and her pistol back.

"That is your To Die List. Names will appear in it." Spears explained. "Normally recruits would not receive it for many months but since we'll be leaving very soon I might as well hand them out now. You'll be the first one to do the jumping lesson since you so kindly volunteered."

"I want my voodoo doll…" Jack moaned from behind her somewhere.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth and stared upward at the porch roof. It seemed impossibly high. Could she really just jump up there? She tucked the book into a pocket and willed her heart to stop its frantic pounding. She could feel every eye on her and she gritted her teeth even more, grimacing. If she hadn't seen her mother just do it, she would have thought it a cruel joke but since he had done it…

She bended her knees and jumped upward. To her shock she flew high into the air and she resisted the yelp that wanted to come out of her mouth. The Library was coming closer and closer and she feared she had misjudged the distance and she might collide with the side of the building just below the dome. She did just that, clinging to a convenient window and then dropped the short distance to the porch roof. Once there and her footing sure, she breathed a sigh of relief. She checked herself over, sure to find nasty injuries from that collision with the stone building but to her utter surprise she was uninjured!

She tilted her head back then, staring up at the giant round dome. She could just make out the gleam of the cross way up there. From this angle it was difficult to see and she contemplated the best way to reach it. Maybe she would have to use her feet, run on part of the dome? But if she did that, she might overshoot it. She jumped upward again and felt herself flying up with ease, the cross soon easily visible. Her boots touched down on the curve of the dome and she hurried towards the metal cross, clinging to it like a rope on the ship.

Then she glanced down. The view from here was similar to the view from atop the main mast. The problem was she was expected to jump down, not slide on a rope or use the ratlines. Every instinct in her body screamed at her not to jump off as surely she'd be killed. But she was immortal now. The hand that clutched the metal was getting sweaty, her grip not so secure. Any moment her hand would slip and down she would go. And so she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and leaped off. She fell through the air and landed back on the porch roof. Her years on heaving ships gave her secure footing and she didn't slip, not even on the angled surface. A moment later and she was back on the ground.

"I knew you could do it!" Grell cried happily as he ran up to her, hugging her tightly and caressing her hair. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Sparrow! You're next!" Spears called loudly.

"What? Me?" Jack asked as he eyed the building with distrust. Still, he stepped forward and came closer. "I suppose such a skill could be mighty useful…"

"Shinigami are not thieves. We do not use our abilities to rob others." Spears stated as he could guess what the pirate was thinking all too easily.

"I was just thinking of that coconut tree actually…" Jack said to throw the sour man off of the trail. "I had to use a rope to get down from there but now I could just leap down and be just dandy."

"A coconut tree?" Spears asked as he grew confused.

"Aye, a coconut tree." Jack repeated. "They do grow in the Caribbean you realize?"

And with that said Jack jumped upward, landed on the porch roof, jumped again and was soon up on the cross. He moved like a monkey, fast and swift. Upon reaching the cross, he grabbed it and used his momentum to swing around it a few times as if he were on a rope. He seemed to pick up speed while revolving, a loud shriek coming from his mouth.

All eyes were on Jack. Eric's bored expression vanished as he watched the now rapidly spinning pirate. Ronald gawked upward with his mouth agape and his green-yellow eyes especially wide behind his black framed glasses. Alan looked concerned that he might be injured possibly and Grell looked confused. Spears sighed and tapped his shiny black dress shoe on the ground, waiting impatiently for the pirate to finish whatever he was currently doing. Whatever it was, it was not in the lesson plan and he figured it must be a pirate thing.

Jack finally lost his grip on the cross and went flying through the air. He screamed all the way down and then splashed into the nearby sea with a loud gushing of whitewater up into the air. A moment later the pirate's head poked out and he waded out of the water, dripping. "I'm wet."

William sighed but called the next recruit forward.

000

The _Black Pearl_ had her supplies and her crew. Mr. Gibbs, Pintel and Ragetti had returned to the ship. Everything that needed to be done was done. Now he was just waiting on the captain and the strange passengers they were to take on. The captain appeared then, walking up the gangplank with confidence. "Mr. Gibbs, we sail on the morning tide. Our passengers will be boarding soon. I assume ye have figured out where we'll stick them, aye?"

"Captain?" Gibbs asked uncertainly. "I thought they'd be rooming with the crew?"

"Mixing that uptight Spears and that fussy Earl with the pirate crew may not be such a wise idea." Jack frowned at the thought. Then his dark eyes widened and a broad grin appeared. He rose a hand up in the air. "I know! We'll stick the lot of them in Barbossa's first mate cabin! They can room with that no-good monkey!"

Mr. Gibbs laughed at this, his belly shaking. "I'll go get more hammocks!"

The dreadlocked pirate heard footsteps on the gangplank and he turned to see Earl Phantomhive coming up onto the ship, his ever present demon butler right behind him. Then Madame Red and Grell appeared, Grell not bothering to change into his butler disguise as everyone knew he was a Shinigami. Sebastian easily handled everyone's luggage with ease.

"I presume you know where we'll be staying, Captain Sparrow?" Ciel asked as he gazed upward at the pirate.

"Of course I do. Right this way…" Jack sauntered across the deck leading them to the large room Barbossa favored to use when he claimed he was captain or whenever he stole the _Pearl_. It was lucky, actually, that the ship possessed two separate large rooms suitable for a captain's cabin as each man stored his own stuff in his own room. That way when they each stole the ship from the other all of their stuff was already there.

Jack opened the door with a flourish and led the way in. "Here we are good gents! A nice large room for ye all to share. This is the best I can do under the circumstances as the _Pearl_ be a pirate ship and not a passenger ship."

"Of course." Ciel nodded his understanding as he stared around the large and already furnished room. It was actually larger than he had expected. He had half feared they'd be stuck in the bowels of the ship with the cutthroat crew of lowlifes. "This will do fine."

"Barbossa normally used this room for his captain's cabin…" Jack explained as he walked about the room eying things that Hector had hung onto. A large rolled up scroll caught his eye then and he reached for it, his heart leaping suddenly fast. The next second it was in his hand and he tucked the item against his body. "I'll leave ye to settle in then."

Jack had just left Barbossa's cabin and was going to head to his own when he heard more voices. He paused, his dark kohl-rimmed eyes going to the gangplank. Was that…? He heard that loud but clear annoying voice and his heart sunk. It was him. The Pirate Lord sighed but headed to the gangplank to see his other guests. He paused, feeling on his face. Not feeling anything there, he quickly put on the fake spectacles.

William T. Spears, Ronald Knox, Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby came onto the deck of the ship, their death scythes resting on their shoulders and their small bags of luggage in their hands. Ronald gasped at the huge black ship as this was his first time seeing it, trying to take in everything at once. Eric played it cool and stuck close to Alan's side. Alan, of course, had seen the ship before but he was still awed by it.

"Please take us to wherever we'll be staying." Spears ordered the pirate. "I hope the accommodations are cleaner than you are."

"Right this way, mate." Jack led them back the way he had just come and opened the door to Barbossa's cabin. "Right in there."

Spears took a few steps within, the other three Shinigami right on his heels.

Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

The _vermin_ were in the room!

"Mr. Sparrow!" Spears turned around to yell at the nerve of his recruit to try rooming them with the _enemy_ but the door was closed and Sparrow was nowhere to be seen.

TBC…

Note: This was the longest chapter yet! I needed to clear up a few things before they left on the upcoming journey and I hope I covered everything I needed to.


	9. Playing God

Jack Sparrow 9

A Few Months Ago, Somewhere in the Caribbean

Angelica was on her hew pirate ship, the _Remorseless_. Unlike Jack, she knew how to get a ship quickly. She carried her newly discovered prize into the captain's cabin, a pleased grin on her face. If this chest was what she thought it was, then Jack was going to suffer horribly. It still smote her that he had tricked them, mixing the chalices up. With her father dead and far from her reach, how was she to redeem his soul? Her words were not just words; she truly wanted to save her father from those fiery pits of eternal torture. Carefully, she set the large chest down on the table within her room. "I will not kill you Jack for that is a sin but I'll make you suffer greatly. You can then take your own life or be driven madder than you already are!"

Slowly she opened the chest as excitement grew in her thin body. Items were revealed to her dark eyes. Slowly she lifted them out one by one. The first was a large folded map. Upon seeing the paper item, she handled it with great care fearing it may crumble at the slightest touch. But after examining it for a few moments, she realized it was not ordinary paper at all. There was some kind of tough coating on it, a wax maybe and the material felt strong. She didn't see or smell decay or rot, which was a good sign. Feeling more confident, she unfolded the map and spread it out on her table.

The familiar landmasses of the world were before her. There was England and Europe, the Caribbean and Espanola and even the far distant Orient. The land was shaded brown or green like on a painting. The water was a deep blue. Straight lines by the hundreds crisscrossed the map to form tiny squares. It reminded her of a chessboard. Writing caught her eye and she bent forward to read what it said. To her surprise it was the names of ships. As she watched, the names slowly inched forward while others sat still, presumably anchored or at dock. After a brief search, she found the _Remorseless_ on the map just where it should be.

And although she searched for the _Black Pearl_, she could not find it. She decided then the ship must still be in the bottle and thus was not showing up on the magic map. "How am I going to find you, Jack? I don't know what ship you're on."

Next she turned her attention to the other items, which turned out to be a little sack of different colored jewels. They were the same shape and size as the squares on the map. They came in different colors, presumably to represent different powers.

An instruction sheet was not included so she knew she would have to experiment. She would pick a ship at random and place a colored tile over it to see what happened. If she could truly rule the winds and tides, pirating just became a lot easier! An evil grin broke out on her face as she imagined robbing a heavily laden ship while it was stuck like a bug in molasses. Her stomach rumbled then, demanding to be fed. She moved to the door to her cabin and opened it, poking her head out. "Where are those chorizo de pollo? Hurry up!"

000

London Dock, the _Black Pearl_, 1750

William T. Spears turned his attention back to the pair of demons and the room they were apparently had to share, his nerves jumping at the mere idea. For a fraction of a second he allowed his gaze to flicker over the room itself, trusting the vermin wouldn't attack him. Well, he didn't really believe they would, it was just the fact that they were demons that annoyed him. The fact that demons were the enemy had been drilled into his brain when he had attended the Shinigami Academy. Unlike Grell, he took the lessons very seriously and to heart.

The room was much bigger than he had expected as he had half feared something the size of a closet. Three large windows graced the back of the room, the windows tilted on an angle. Each was broken up into smaller panes of glass, wooden bits holding it all together. Similar windows were to either side of the room. There was a circular cherry wood table near the back of the room, presumably for meals. An elaborately carved wardrobe was pushed against one wall, a large globe of the world near it. Expertly made chairs with round backs and scrollwork were placed about the cabin, most of them near the round table. Several desks were shoved up underneath the windows to Spears' left, the windows to supposedly provide light. Dozens of candles were set out everywhere, many in candelabra. Glass lanterns hung from the ceiling, the fixtures slowly swaying with the gentle tide. Expensive carpets as one would expect to find in Phantomhive covered the floor. Even the walls themselves were decorated with expensive moldings. And another item hung from the ceiling as well. It was the perch for Jack the monkey but Spears did not know that.

The two demons, Grell and an unfamiliar redheaded woman in a red dress stood near the cherry wood table, luggage at their feet. This told the dour supervisor they had just arrived moments before he did. A faint memory stirred in his mind as he recalled the woman in question. Hadn't she been involved in that Jack the Ripper fiasco that Grell had got demoted over? The more he studied her, the more sure he became. He had thought Grell had stopped associating with her but apparently not. She was a bad influence on him, just like those demons were. It was yet another thing for him to worry about.

"It appears," Ciel finally stated after a long moment of silence hung in the room, the only noise being the waves against the hull. "That we're to share this room during the voyage. I have no problem with that, do you?"

Spears grimaced in disgust at the two vile creatures from Hell. He noted on how Grell was clinging to the butler's arm in a horrid display of affection. "If we must, we must. But you will stay away from my staff and not influence them with your vile schemes or actions. I do not like this situation any more than you do."

Alan looked startled at the news, his fingers tightening around his death scythe. While he had seen the two demons before, he had never really spent any great deal of time with them. They were Grell's friends really … er, husband. He really didn't know what the relationship between Grell and the young Earl was. And who was that woman? He noted she had red eyes as well. Was she another demon? He turned to William. "Are we really going to share a room with demons?"

Eric smile crookedly and threw an arm about Alan's thin shoulders. "Relax, Alan. I'm sure they're not going to do us anything."

"I assure you, we do not bite." Sebastian said with a smile and a hand over his heart. "You have the wrong impression of us."

Grell stared up at Sebastian dreamily, hearts floating about him as he pressed himself tighter against the demon's side. "Demons are wonderful! Ahhhh!"

Spears grimaced at the sickening display. No doubt he'd have to put up with the nonsense the entire trip. The urge to yell at Sutcliffe to get away from the vermin burned within him but he just managed to control himself. The redhead was married to the demon, something he kept pointing out. Instead Spears turned to regard the other three reapers. "You will stay away from the demons and not listen to their glib lies."

Ciel turned his head this way and that. Soon a confused expression formed on his face. "Sebastian, where are we supposed to sleep? I don't see any beds at all…"

And it was true. While there were chairs, desks and the round table, not a single bed was in sight. At the young Earl's words, the fact dawned on the others' faces as well.

"Surely we're not meant to sleep on the floor!" Madame Red exclaimed in horror, her hands on her hips.

The door to the cabin opened then and Elizabeth came in, squeezing her way past the four reapers that were milling there. "On a ship you sleep in hammocks, not beds. They take very little room and when not in use they can be folded up and put out of the way. Besides, ships need to clear for action."

She moved to the nearest wall and grabbed one of the nets that had been hanging there unnoticed by anyone. She unhooked the one end and stretched it out, hooking the other end where it belonged. Soon the hammock was out for all to see. She glanced about and realized that everyone was staring at it as if it were a foreign thing, perhaps a dog with two heads.

"We're supposed to sleep in that _thing_?" Ronald gasped.

"They're not as bad as they look." Elizabeth reassured him with a smile. "You'll get used to it. All of the crew use them."

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud knocking at the door. Everyone froze and glanced at everyone else. Sebastian sighed but went to answer the door as a proper butler should. When he opened it, he saw the mutton chopped first mate standing there. "Yes?"

"The Captain has invited ye all to dine with him this evening. It be custom ya see." Mr. Gibbs informed the guests. "We'll be setting sail at first light tomorrow, leaving with the tide."

"I don't think I've ever actually seen Jack eat anything." Elizabeth commented to the others. "He only drinks rum."

Spears groaned at the new knowledge about his troublesome recruit. "That is all I need, a drunk in charge of the ship! How can he collect souls when he's drunk?"

"Oh, Jack never gets drunk." Elizabeth quickly added in favor of her good friend. "Or at least I've seen him drunk. It seems to help him think better."

"I doubt that." The grim man replied.

"My Lord, shall we be accepting the Captain's invitation to dinner?" Sebastian politely asked Ciel.

"We might as well. While we don't need to eat regular food, I suspect he'll be telling us more about the upcoming voyage. We shall go for that reason." With his walking stick in hand and his feathered black-and-white tricorne on his head, the young Earl headed for the door. He exited and Sebastian fell in step right behind him, Madame Red and Grell following. Elizabeth and the other four reapers followed. Mr. Gibbs led them the short distance to Jack's captain's cabin and politely held the double door open.

To everyone's surprise, a nice looking feast was spread out on the long table in the room. There was a roasted turkey, fresh fruit, a multi-level cake that was somewhat crooked, rolls, a green salad and the ever present bottles of rum. Jack stood behind the table and spread his arms in the air. "Welcome, mates! It be a nautical tradition to dine with the Captain, that being me, yer first night on me lovely ship. Now settle yerselves down and let's eat!"

Spears approached the table, inwardly questioning the cleanliness of the plates. With Sparrow one never knew. Then his green eyes rose to the pirate. "Sparrow, where are your important spectacles?"

A surprised look crossed Jack's face. "I thought I was wearing them…"

The pirate lifted one hand and felt the bridge of his nose. Not finding anything, he dug in a pocket and pulled them out, sticking them on his face. "Ye got an unhealthy obsession with spectacles. Bloody annoying! Are ye a eunuch?"

But Spears only stared at him uncomprehending what the term meant, believing it was some sea-related word. Loud snickers came from Grell who tried to muffle them with his black gloved hands without much success. The redhead's body quivered and shook, but that was normal behavior for him. Madame Red thought it was very humorous and laughed along with her partner in crime. Even Eric grinned at it. And Alan was just as uncomprehending as sour William.

Ciel turned to Sebastian, his single blue eye full of questions. "What's a eunuch?"

The demon smiled down at his younger charge. "Something you are too young to know of, My Lord."

Ciel thought of his butler's reply and took in the fact his aunt was laughing like crazy. That led him to the idea it must be something dirty in an adult manner. He frowned then, thinking of the horrid dancing and social situations he had been forced to attend. Ugh. Being betrothed to that blonde horror in pink was bad enough… the forced hand holding, the fake smiles and if she ever expected a _kiss_ he'd die. Ciel waved the subject off. "I have no interest in those things."

Sebastian set about serving Madame Red and Grell, both who were thrilled. The cooking was not up to his standards but he hoped it would not be truly atrocious either. But with _pirates_…

Then he noticed the lack of tea. "Oh dear, there is no tea…"

After all of his years in the Caribbean, Jack had forgotten how obsessed English people were with tea. "Yer welcome to make some mate. The galley is down below."

Sebastian hurried off and quickly returned with hot tea, serving everyone including the grim reapers. Soon everyone had food and drink before them except the two demons who only ate souls. The food while not perfect was edible. It was more than they had expected with pirates.

"As ye know, we'll be leaving on the morning tide." Jack explained as he waved a green banana around for reasons only he knew. "Ye must remember to eat yer fruit everyday less ye catch the scurvy. Trust me, ye don't want that. All of ye teeth will fall out!"

Spears sighed loudly. "We're Shinigami. I doubt if we can catch that and I'm sure demons don't catch it either."

"Onto the next subject then!" Jack put the banana back down and then pulled out a long scroll. "This be a pirate ship and thus it be sailed as one. Anyone man or woman who signs on will receive an equal share of any treasures we find! So do ye want to sign the roster?"

"Treasure?" Alan asked as that was the last thing he had expected. "You mean treasure other than the Aztec coins?"

"Aye! There be plenty of it out in the Caribbean!" Jack grinned happily as he thought of the heavily laden ship, the _Santiago_. "Ye can return as rich men. How can ye pass that up, errr?"

"But stealing is wrong." Alan stated as the brunette had strong morals. It was one reason he was such an excellent worker and always did all he was told. He also had a soft heart and felt sorry for the lives he took each night, feeling guilty even. Old people who had lived full lives were one thing, but younger ones he really felt for. Often he wished he could warn them ahead of time, to change their fates, but it was against the laws of the Shinigami. His soft heart was probably why he had caught the Thorns in the first place.

"And what if it's just sitting there, unclaimed for hundreds of years, rotting away in the jungle?" Jack picked up several apples, examining them and chose one. Biting into it, he chewed. "Surely ye see nothing wrong with that, errr?"

Eric waved a hand, scoffing. "Do you expect us to believe that? Why would treasure just be sitting in some jungle?"

"Because…" Jack waved the bitten apple around in the air. "There was an enormous sea quake, mate. This humongous wave of water came along and it lifted the _Santiago_ and threw it inland! And there she sat for hundreds of years and I found her. She's loaded with more treasure than the King has."

"We will not be taking any detours." Spears informed him as he thought of the extra time involved in the pirate's new scheme. "And you will take lessons to learn how to be a proper grim reaper."

If Jack had hoped to ignite gold fever in Alan, the story had the opposite effect. He reached for Eric's hand under the table and gripped it, his face paler than normal. "Can a wave really do that? Is the sea that dangerous?"

"It's a rogue wave, mate, rarer than snowflakes in July. Never saw one…" The pirate drank his rum, upending the bottle. "Think about it, mates. If ye want to sign up, come and see me later."

They finished dinner and headed back to their room to face the strange contraptions called hammocks.

Once they were gone, Jack picked up the scroll he had borrowed from Barbossa's cabin earlier that day. He ran his hands along the ancient parchment, feeling the rough texture. Unrolling, he held it up and stared through the large round hole cut in the very center.

Then a wide grin broke out on his face. If things went according to plan, he would have a bit of good luck soon. He suspected most if not all of them would have trouble sleeping as piles of coin danced in their heads. Yes, they would be lining up to sign the ship's roster!

000

The next morning came and the ship set sail. Jack lounged in his cabin, the book of demons in his hands. He couldn't believe he was reading the thing but he was. Truthfully he really fancied the things the creatures could do but he didn't want to get in another mess like he had been with Jones. Instead he was searching for a handy loophole, one he could use in the future. He knew they were helping him now for free but in the future he may not be that lucky…

And he had that whole fleet of ships in bottles…

Spears showed up later, the hedge trimmer in his hand. He stopped before Jack's table in his captain's cabin and gazed at him. "Where is your report, the one on demons you were to write?"

The dirty and smelly pirate grinned up at him, gold teeth flashing. He picked up a roll of parchment from his table and handed it to him. "Here it is, mate."

Jack could see the man's green eyes widen for a few moments showing he was surprised but the expression quickly reverted to his dour look. A feeling of satisfaction flashed through the pirate as the parchment was taken from his hand. Then it was unrolled and he could see the green eyes scanning the document he had neatly produced.

"This is handwritten." Spears commented as he studied it. "Why didn't you use the typewriter?"

"I don't rightly know what that is, mate." Jack replied honestly.

"I will have someone explain it to you. It is simple enough to use. I made certain to bring several typewriters and reams of paper. Even out here reports must be written and records filed neatly. Luckily, we have desks in our cabin and the demons show no interest in using them."

000

Eric, Alan and Ronald leaned against the wooden railing of the _Pearl_, their hair blowing in the breeze. The three had spent a somewhat uncomfortable night in the hammocks trying to sleep but found it difficult. The contraptions made from nets were just so different than the beds they were used to. They felt tired now but the fresh sea air was quickly reviving them. Staring out at the sea, all they saw was water, water and yet more water stretching to the far horizon in all directions.

"Hey," Ronald remarked to his two companions as he turned his back to the railing and instead watched the crew busy mopping the deck. "Where do you think the girls are? I remember Jack telling me the gunner had a daughter and so far all I've seen are guys."

Eric shrugged. "I don't know anything about these ships…"

"Where do you think the shower is?" Alan asked as he adjusted his glasses, pushing them higher up his nose. He watched as scruffy deck hands scrubbed the deck on their hands and knees. Others climbed up the ratlines to handle the sails. "I see there's a doorway that leads below, but I haven't gone down there yet."

"Maybe the girls are down there, in the kitchen?" Hope was in Ronald's voice as he shifted his eyes to the doorway that was visible from his vantage point. He realized they would be pirate girls most likely, mortals, but at the moment he wasn't that fussy. Any girl would do. "And what are those weird metal grates on the floor over there?"

"No idea." Eric stifled a yawn. "And at the moment I don't care. That hammock thing kept me up all night. It was making my back hurt."

They saw Elizabeth come out of the doorway, a hunk of bread in her hands. They quickly waved her over.

She joined them a few moments later, tearing bits off of the bread and munching on it. "So what do you think so far?"

"Well, we have a lot of unanswered questions." Eric informed her honestly as he turned to watch her. She was leaning against the railing casually and at ease, her hair blowing in the wind. "For one, we don't know anything about these ships or what things are, like those weird metal grates on the floor over there."

"That's the hold, where supplies are kept." She replied automatically without even glancing in the indicated direction.

"And what about the girls, the parties?" Ronald quickly asked next as he felt his question was more pressing than Alan's.

"Well, the only two girls on the ship are Madame Red and myself."

"Wha…" The blonde's mouth dropped open and his green eyes bugged out. "NO! That can't be! Jack told me that the gunner had a daughter! She has to be here somewhere!"

Elizabeth shook her head sadly. "The gunner's daughter is a punishment using a whip, the cat-of-nine-tails. And as for parties, the pirates do like playing music and singing in the evening. They gamble and things like that; have fun after the day of hard work."

Ronald moaned loudly, falling to the deck in horror. "I don't believe I gave up dates with cute secretaries for months of no girls at all! This is the worst day ever!"

"You'll be OK." Eric shook his head at the blonde's antics, smirking. "I don't see what's the big deal anyway? Girls are just girls…"

But Ronald didn't agree at all. How could Eric understand? He never seemed to go out with any of the girls and rarely attended any parties. "You don't understand."

"Do you know where the shower is?" Alan asked in his soft voice. "We need to keep clean and presentable."

"There isn't one. These ships don't have any plumbing. And the barrels of fresh water have to be saved for drinking and cooking. You can use sea water if you want, but it's full of salt and will dry your skin out something awful I fear. And the salt sticks to everything." Elizabeth felt sorry for the reapers with all of these unexpected surprises thrown at them. She thought about the time she had spent on ships including the _Pearl_ and realized she had never really gotten very dirty or sweaty. Will's hair had gotten a bit dirty after days out at sea but hers had always stayed fluffy and clean. Until now, she had never really given it much thought.

"It's becoming clear why Jack is such a mess." Eric stated somewhat unhappily. He thought of his suggestion from the other day, of asking the demon to clean Jack. If the trip lasted long enough and they grew desperate, they just might ask him to do that.

000

Many Months Ago, Somewhere in the Caribbean

Angelica had been experimenting with the map and the little color gems that snapped into place when she placed them where she wanted them. She learned that the light blue ones were the easiest to use and the handiest. Whenever she placed such a colored square over the name of a ship, the water went perfectly still and the wind died. The ship was a sitting duck and they could rob it with ease. Her crew rallied around her and the treasures they were getting.

She picked up a white gem, studying it for a moment. Its color reminded her of snow and ice. Would it create an iceberg or something? If it did that, it might sink the ship she was using it on. To be safe, she decided to test it on an old derelict that had seen better days long ago. Ever so carefully she placed the white square onto the map.

Almost immediately she noticed something, something she didn't exactly like. The sea felt extra choppy now, the _Remorseless_ moving in a strange way. Then she could feel something in her bones, an odd feeling, sort of like a vibration. Then a low rumble could be heard, coming from all around. The sound grew and grew, getting louder and louder. She heard terrified shouts from outside her cabin, the sound of the crew running around frantically. The frightening sound sent a dab of cold fear right to her heart, her breath catching in her throat. Quickly she tore the white square off of the map and dropped it back into the chest, vowing to never use one again. The map was more dangerous that it seemed; she realized that now. She had been playing God and messing with forces she didn't understand. If she wasn't careful, the _Remorseless_ might get destroyed by her arrogance. She quickly crossed herself, saying a prayer for forgiveness. The sounds died down and vanished. Still, she sat there unmoving, sweat on her brow and her heart beating at a quick pace.

Far below the ocean waves, a deep crack had formed on the sea floor.

Then something emerged.

TBC…

Note: I just noticed I've been working on this story for a month now. It doesn't seem that long, I guess because writing it is fun. Wanted to post this on the 1 month anniversary but missed it by 30 minutes. LOL. And I can't imagine Spears in a tent and certainly not one shared with Sebastian! Spears camping in the woods? He must have been kidnapped! At least he could catch fish with that hedge trimmer..


	10. Cold Dread From Below

Jack Sparrow 10

Note: Out of the stories I'm working on at the moment, this one is my favorite. It's a lot of fun. Sorry the previous chapter was so short. This one will be longer.

000

Ciel Phantomhive very quickly realized being on the _Black Pearl_ was incredibly boring. Simply put, there was nothing for him to do. He supposed he could work on his Funtom business but that was difficult as out here he was cut off from everything. The choppy dark blue ocean extended as far as the eye could see. The monotony of it couldn't even be broken by a cup of tea, mainly because he couldn't drink tea any more. How he missed it, that and Sebastian's wonderful cooking. In that way he envied his Aunt and the reapers: at least they could still eat. It was far better than the gnawing empty ache he suffered in silence each day.

The young demon raised his eyes from where he regally sat in one of the ornate scrollwork chairs. The reapers were out of the room for the moment. They had quickly claimed the desks near the one side window as their own and now several strange devices sat there along with tall stacks of paper. He had also seen Spears eyeing the wardrobe, telling his employees it would make a grand file cabinet. The dolt! Didn't he know it was for clothes?

"Sebastian!" Ciel called as he rose to his feet, picking up his walking stick from where he had laid it on the cherry wood table. "We should go see the Captain. If we're to claim the Fountain, then we should find out what he knows about it. I don't want any surprises when we get there."

The demon butler smiled, bowing. "An excellent idea, My Lord. While I am versed on many things, the Fountain is not one of them."

"There's nothing else to do anyway…" Ciel headed for the door and stepped out onto the deck. The capstan was just ahead of him and he gazed at the weird device for a moment, pondering what it was. Although he owned ships to carry his candy and toys, he never really went on any of them. He saw a huge number of scruffy pirates scrubbing the deck, water sloshing everywhere. He noted the three reapers hanging out near the rail, talking. Then Elizabeth went over to join them. Soon after that the blonde, Ronald, fell to the deck and made loud wailing noises in distress.

Dismissing them, Ciel turned and headed towards Jack's cabin. Upon reaching it, Spears came out carrying a rolled scroll in his hand. The ever present hedge trimmer was gripped tightly in the other. The man's green eyes darkened as he sighted them, a scowl appearing on his already grim face. Ciel stared back at him, daring him to say anything but he just walked past at a swift pace, his chin pointing upward a few more degrees. The intent was clear to the young earl. Spears still thought he was superior and they were vermin.

Entering the cabin, Ciel soon saw Jack sitting behind his table. An open bottle of rum was next to him and there was a map spread out across the tabletop, a compass resting on top of the charts.

"Come to join up, aye?" Jack asked hopefully when he saw the two demons.

"I want to know about the Fountain. What can we expect when we reach it?" Ciel asked as he reached the captain's desk and stopped.

Jack considered the question for a moment, thinking. He knew better than to give away all of his secrets. He had trusted Barbossa with the location of Isla de Muerta and that hadn't worked out well at all. He had been rudely tossed off his own ship and stranded on some nameless island. After that, it had taken him many a long year to reclaim the _Pearl_. Still, he reasoned he had to tell the young demon something. "It be in one of them weird places, mate."

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel asked as his brows knitted in confusion. The words could mean anything.

"It be like that funny place with that office, like the Locker: it not be of this world." Jack explained as he leaned back in his chair, relaxed. "Ye need a magic key to get in, of course. _Two_ keys in fact and ye have to say the words to an incantation. Without that, ye will never reach the Fountain."

"And you have the two keys and know the incantation?" Sebastian asked with interest, a hungry gaze in his dark red eyes. Very few souls met his criteria but Jack had such a soul. Unfortunately the man did not seem interested in a contract, that and he knew the value of his soul. The fact that he was a reaper now was immaterial. He could just as easily swallow them as any other soul, but he had a strict code of honor he lived by. He preferred to make contracts and earn the souls he swallowed as they tasted far sweeter that way. The long wait, the anticipation only increased his pleasure when he finally did consume them.

"Of course I do, mate!" The dirty dreadlocked pirate grinned happily. "I've been there and seen it fer myself! I be Captain Jack Sparrow, Discoverer of the Fountain of Youth! The only real threat mate is them bloody mermaids!"

"I'm sure I can handle mermaids." Sebastian told him with confidence. "I have fought angels and other demons. I have even beat reapers."

Ciel nodded, his gaze going up to his butler who stood next to him. "Sebastian is the perfect butler. There isn't anything he can't do!"

"I'm sure you're exaggerating, mate." Jack said as he lifted his bottle of rum and took a big swallow. "He could get the _Pearl_ out of the bottle, but then it was voodoo that put it in there, aye? Blackbeard may have been the nastiest evil scourge to sail the seas, but he was still a mortal man."

"Ask him to do anything and he can do it!" Ciel exclaimed loudly. "I will prove it to you. Demons are far more powerful than some mortal sorcerer."

"I don't know, mate." Jack said doubtfully as he eyed the demon butler. "Blackbeard could make zombies, bring the dead to life. Not that I want that mate, but ye got to admit it must be a tricky thing to do."

The pirate stood, stretching. Slowly he walked about his cabin, his arms held aloft as the deck swayed with the waves. He headed for a chest he had tucked in the far corner and paused there, his dark eyes shifting to the two demons. "Anything, aye?"

"Yes, anything at all." Ciel repeated with firm confidence.

Jack bent and opened the chest. He pulled forth a long scroll and carried it over to the table. Unrolling it, he set it before the two demons. The entire middle was cut out, just a round hole to reveal the map underneath it. "Can he fix this?"

Both demons were startled at the gaping hole in the center, as it was the last thing they had expected to see. An uncertain expression crossed Ciel's face then. "Sebastian, can you fix that?"

"It should be a simple matter, if that's what you desire My Lord."

"Sebastian, I order you to fix that scroll." Ciel ordered as he tore the black pirate-like eye patch off of his eye. The contract flashed, glowing.

Sebastian touched the edge of the scroll and to Jack's amazement the thing repaired itself! The missing parts started to appear from the outer edges, growing inwards. Soon the various circles appeared, the weird Asian symbols on them. Landmasses were there as well. Then a Chinese junk appeared in the very center.

"Me map!" The pirate shouted with glee and instantly started turning the various bits around. After a few moments of that he frowned. "It's just as maddening as before! One needs to be insane to read this thing. Good thing I'm nuts, aye?"

Ciel had no idea of how to reply to that statement so he remained silent.

000

"What do you guys think of the Captain's offer?" Ronald suddenly asked the other reapers as he still relaxed near the ship's railing. The blonde partier had somewhat gotten over his shock over the serious lack of girls on the ship. "I could always use extra cash for my bar tabs and I'm sure you guys could use it for something too…"

Alan looked uncertain. "Do you really think it would be OK?"

"I don't see why not." Eric shrugged. "It'll just be temporary. I'm guessing the most he'd want is for us to help haul that treasure back to the ship or to maybe help out if we get attacked by some other pirates. I admit I wouldn't mind having some extra spending money…"

Alan nodded, still feeling a bit nervous. His green eyes grew wide then and he pointed a finger across the deck. "Look at that!"

Ronald and Eric shifted their gaze, both looking as confused as Alan.

"What the heck is he doing?" Eric scratched his black beard, his brow furrowing. "Grell! What are you doing?"

Grell paused in his actions, the silver serving tray held securely in his black gloved hands. A teapot, teacup and saucer, sugar bowl and the other necessary items rested upon the tray. He glanced at his co-workers, his cheeks taking on a slightly pinkish tint at getting caught. His long red hair floated about him in the sea breeze as did his red coat. "I'm serving my Mistress, what does it look like? Its tea time and Madame must have her tea."

"Mistress?" Eric repeated as his eyes narrowed. "Are you cheating on that demon?"

"Don't be silly!" Grell exclaimed as he rolled his eyes. "Madame Red is a baroness and I'm her deadly efficient butler!"

Ronald gasped. "You play butler to a human?"

A toothy grin appeared. "Why not? It's fun and I enjoy it. Ah, Madame is so glorious sometimes and she loves red just as much as I do! We two are alike really."

Grell climbed the stairs up to the poop deck where Madame Red was enjoying a bit of sun. She had a chair set up near the back railing and out of the crew's way. A tiny table sat nearby. Her broad-rimmed red hat was on her head, shading her face from the bright sunlight. Up at the front of the poop deck, Mr. Gibbs, James, Theo and Andrew were busy supervising the crew, Mr. Gibbs being on the ship's helm. Grell set the serving tray down and started to serve her the tea, pouring the hot amber liquid into a teacup. There was no need for him to pretend to be a bumbling servant so he was very proficient at his duties.

The three other reapers watched the redhead vanish from sight, still amazed at what they had just seen.

Eric shook his head. "I can't understand a demon playing butler and then Grell does it as well? Why would he do that, stoop to serving a human? I guess it doesn't matter. Let's go sign up so we can get some bonus pay!"

"Yeah, I deserve something since there are no girls!" Ronald quickly led the way to Jack's cabin, knocking before he cracked the door open to peer within. He saw Jack's familiar form behind the table they had dined at last night, his head bowed over some bit of paper. "Captain?"

"Come in, mate!" Jack exclaimed with a welcoming wave of his hand, a broad smile on his tan face. "Ye want to sign up?"

The three nodded, their green eyes falling on the unusual circular charts Jack had been studying. They had never seen anything like it before.

"Great!" Jack exclaimed as he quickly got out the ship's roster and spread it out before them. "Make your mark!"

The three did so, signing their names using the old fashioned pen that Jack had on his desk. It was a far cry from the modern typewriters they were so used to, but then the Shinigami Realm was much more advanced than the human world. It was to be expected.

"Now ye be members of me crew!" Jack was pleased as he thought of all of that treasure just sitting there. He was torn between dreaming of the lovely treasure and playing with the Sao Feng map. Maybe a few more would sign the roster soon…if they did, they could influence Mr. Sourface (AKA Spears) to go after the loot, loot that Jack wanted very much. He liked shiny things and the crew liked shiny things.

The three Shinigami left then, excitement coursing through their veins at what they had just done. They started to head back to their own cabin, which was the new office. Out of habit, Alan pulled out his little black book and flipped it open. Being out on the sea as they were, he didn't expect to see any names on his To Die list. But there were names, a lot of them! He gasped loudly then, his mouth gaping open in utter surprise. Quickly he showed the list of names to Eric and Ronald. "Look! I have names on my list! How can I have names there when William-san didn't assign me any?"

Eric pulled his book out of his pocket. After adjusting his glasses, he saw he had names too. An uncomfortable feeling grew in his stomach then. "This is very strange…"

"Tell me about it!" Ronald held his open book before the others, showing he had a long list of souls as well. "But who _are_ these people and better yet _where_ are they? I've never seen a list like this one before…"

A black-clad hand flew to Alan's mouth as his face paled even more. "What if these are the names of the sailors on _this_ ship? What if some horrid calamity is going to strike us? The Captain told us about that big wave last night…"

"Calm down!" Eric hurriedly wrapped an arm around his best friend's thin body, holding him. "If you get too excited, you'll get another attack. The Thorns will only drive themselves deeper. Now don't think those dark thoughts…"

But Alan broke free of Eric's grasp and hurried into the cabin. To his relief, his supervisor was there. "William-san! Names just appeared in our To Die books!"

At the words, Spears turned to regard his subordinate. He adjusted his spectacles with his hedge trimmer. "That is impossible. I haven't handed out any assignments. Besides, there are no souls in sight, just miles upon miles of empty ocean lay around us. You must be mistaken."

Alan shoved the book in the grin man's face.

Spears took it and studied it for a moment. "These deaths are very unusual. There are no details as to how they died or when. And what are these strings of numbers behind each name? They certainly are not dates."

"I don't know!" Alan exclaimed wide-eyed and somewhat uneasy.

"It seems the death prophets have found a way to give us assignments while we're on this ship." He handed Alan his book back and then pulled out his own. Opening the black cover, he flipped through the pages, an unreadable expression on his face. "Odd, but the death prophets haven't assigned me any, presumably because I'm the supervisor. No matter, we must discover what the strings of numbers mean if we're to collect these souls."

Spears headed out of the cabin at a quick pace, the others trailing right behind him. Soon he entered the Captain's cabin yet again and found Jack playing with some odd circular charts. "Captain Sparrow, it seems a problem of sorts has come up."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Jack tore his gaze from his unique charts as he tried to read the man, to guess what it might be. He didn't seem angry about the three fellows signing the roster so he dismissed that idea for the moment.

"Names have appeared on the To Die lists of my subordinates…" Spears explained as he took Alan's book and held it open before the pirate. "Do you have any idea what these strange numbers mean, the ones behind the names?"

Jack peered at them, his gaze going over his fake glasses. He had taken to leaving them on his face as he never knew when the Eunuch would be showing up. After glancing at the numbers for a brief second, he leaned back in his chair. "They be coordinates, mate, longitude and latitude. It's about three days travel from here."

"It's … it's not the names of the crew, is it?" Alan fearfully asked.

"I don't rightly know. I don't know me new deck crew but I shall ask Mr. Gibbs straight away." Jack quickly called Mr. Gibbs and showed him the names in the three books.

"These people not be on the _Pearl_, Captain." Mr. Gibbs said as he eyed the books with fear. He leaned forward, one of his brows rising as he looked at the captain with one eye. "I don't much like this, Captain. It be un-natural like, a bad omen! It's what we get for bringing women on board! It's bad luck!"

"Death is a natural part of life." Spears informed him. "We must head for these coordinates so we may collect the souls as needed."

"It's on the way." Jack informed him as he thought the matter over. He had seen countless sunken vessels in his day, bits of timber floating just under the water's surface. The area around Isla de Muerta was known for such wrecks. "We'll probably find a destroyed ship there. Happens a lot. Ships go down fer all sorts of reasons: storms, accidents on board involving the powder magazine, pirates…"

"Aye, that be true!" Mr. Gibbs agreed. "Shallow reefs will open yer haul faster than ya can peel a banana!"

"But that area…" Jack stabbed at a spot on his regular map. "Is in the middle of the Atlantic, far from everything. There be no reefs there, mate."

The four grim reapers left Jack's cabin so they did not see the worried glances that the captain exchanged with his first mate.

"Something's not right, Jack." Mr. Gibbs insisted.

"When is anything ever right on this ship?" Jack replied somewhat bitterly.

Spears quickly found Grell and demanded to see his To Die list but his was as blank as the supervisor's.

Alan spent the next few days fretting over it or more precisely the idea of a nasty storm. He hadn't forgotten that storm from Espanola, the one that had been released from the bottle. It had slapped cold salt water in his face and that had been practically on the beach yet! Surely a storm out here would be far worst? Still, the weather remained calm and the sea as gentle as it could get. The _Pearl_ steadily sailed forward, making good time.

And then they found the wreck. Or what was left of it.

Everyone crowded near the railing and stared out at the remains of the destroyed ship. Only scraps floated on the water's surface, bobbing with the waves. There were barrels, bits of board from the deck or hull, torn scraps of canvas and other assorted flotsam. The main body of the ship had sunk long ago apparently as it was nowhere in sight. The water was tinted red around the wreck, a sight that everyone found disturbing. Amid it all, cinematic records hung in the air drifting about slowly.

"I don't like the sight of that, Captain." Mr. Gibbs said as he did the spitting ritual to ward off bad luck. "It wasn't no pirates that sunk her nor storm either."

"On that I agree. There be no charring." Jack sniffed the air, his large nose searching for the faintest traces of powder or smoke. "The air be clean. The odors don't vanish that quickly, not even out here."

"And look at that blood in the water." Mr. Gibbs shook his head. "We all seen wrecks like this before. We're all thinking it; no just isn't saying it."

"Saying what?" Ciel asked in confusion as he turned to look at the first officer with the fat face and thick mutton chops. "What did you see before?"

"Wrecks like this." Mr. Gibbs stated as he leaned forward towards the young demon, his eyes peeled wide. He spoke in his storytelling voice. "It starts simple enough. Yer ship stops and ye think its caught on a reef. Then this horrible odor comes from below, an odor stinking of a thousand dead corpses. Next the monstrous tentacles slip up over the sides, so large and powerful it'll just smash any ship into matchsticks. It's the kraken!"

"It's dead." Jack reminded his first mate but his dark eyes scanned the water uneasily. Unconsciously he stepped away from the rail, a shiver going through his entire body. "We saw it washed ashore on that beach. Or at least _that_ one is dead…"

"The beast is big enough to swallow ye whole…" Mr. Gibbs continued. "So when ye smell that horrid stench best pray to whatever gods ye believe in that you'll be spared…"

"So it's time to collect the souls." Spears reminded his subordinates as he eyed the cinematic records floating among the wreckage. They slowly twisted in the air like long movie reels, the glowing white souls hovering near them.

"You're mad!" Elizabeth cried at him, horrified. "You can't send someone out there with some creature, possibly another kraken, on the loose!"

"I am relatively positive that such beasts show no interests in our kind. We are not of this realm but of Heaven. As I stated before, you're still thinking like a mortal." Spears turned to regard the Captain. "My reapers will require a boat to reach the souls."

Jack grimaced but turned to his first mate. "Mr. Gibbs, have a long boat lowered."

"Aye, Captain."

Soon the longboat was in the water next to the _Pearl_. Eric, Alan and Ronald gazed at it uneasily. After hearing Mr. Gibbs frightening story, none of them was eager to go down there into that small boat. Anything could be under the waves. The water was a deep dark blue and so it hid creatures easily. When they had first heard Elizabeth's tale of the kraken they hadn't believed it, but then they had seen the circular mark on her leg and the Shinigami Council member had mentioned it as well. Now it seemed all too real.

"It'll be fine." Eric finally stated as he climbed over the rail and made his way down the wooden steps on the outside of the large frigate. Soon he was in the longboat. Alan followed him and Eric helped him into the gently rocking craft. Ronald brought up the rear. All three felt nervous and jumpy like new recruits instead of long experienced reapers. None of them spoke but watched the water wearily, ready to jump at the slightest movement. They collected the souls as quickly as they could, swinging their death scythes about. Ronald quickly found himself at a disadvantage as his lawn mower wasn't suited for this at all. It was heavy on the bottom end and threatened to topple him out of the boat if he wasn't careful. They worked as quickly as they could; checking their To Die lists to make sure each soul listed had been collected.

They were making their way between some larger sections of wreckage, bits of the outer hull by the look of it, when a strange item caught Alan's eye. The thing seemed out of place. It was pearly and white against the water soaked board it stuck to. The thing seemed imbedded in the wood. He silently pointed at it with a shaking finger. Someone he instinctively knew it had been left behind by the great beast that had caused the destruction.

Eric nodded and reached over the side of the longboat with his saw, using it like an oar. He poked at the floating board that contained the white object and managed to bring it closer. Once the long board was close enough, Eric stuck his hand into the cold sea and pulled the heavy board out of the water, hauling it into their longboat. Spears would want some idea of what caused the deaths and this thing was proof. Hopefully the sailors would have some idea what it was from. The far end of the board, he noted, was jagged and broken.

There were the cinematic records as well. Many of the people hadn't seen the thing that had caused the destruction of the ship. They had just noticed a brief bump to the bottom of the hull, then a harder bump. The next thing they knew the ship was taking on water rapidly and they were quickly sinking. Many had drowned without ever seeing the cause for the accident.

One thing was certain though. It had not been pirates, an onboard accident or privateers. There had been no huge explosions or fires, no loud retorts of cannons.

"Do … do you have any idea what it was yet?" Ronald asked in the softest whisper as he collected yet another spiraling reel of cinematic record. "I haven't seen any big octopus arms smashing the ship yet, have you?"

Eric shook his head. "Not a clue except wild panic and drowning. But something did this."

All three pairs of green eyes went to the mysterious white item embedded in the wet board. It was bigger than two fists combined, which did not bode well.

"Maybe…" Alan whispered as he eyed the white thing. "Maybe it's one of them barnacles you hear about? I have no idea what they look like, do you?"

"Not a clue." Eric admitted. He spied the last cinematic record on his list and reached for it with his saw, stretching his arm out to reach it. He made contact then and the three watched the reel play out. Almost instantly they knew this one was far different than the others. The fear from the human was clearer, crisper and far stronger. They could practically taste it in their mouths, sour like bile.

000

_He had been up in the rigging when it happened, balancing on the spar barefoot at he pulled on the heavy canvas. It was a precarious position but working on a ship was dangerous and a midshipman was expected to climb to the highest of spars in the roughest of weather. The sky was clear and blue, the sea fallowing. The Captain had just ordered top sails to gain more speed from the favorable wind and so up he had climbed thinking nothing of it. It was just another day like any other…_

_Then the ship had shuddered as if it had hit a reef. The rough vibrations had traveled up the main mast, shaking the spar. Bent over as he was, he had almost fallen to his death right then and there. He instinctively tightened his grip on the tough canvas as he fell head over heels, his feet losing contact with the wooden spar. Some sailing ships used ropes for men who climbed up to the spars to balance on, to cling to but his ship didn't. He didn't need to rely on ropes for balance. His body did a flip and he ending up hanging from his hands as his shipmates screams echoed in his ears. Apparently some had lost their balance and had fallen to the hard deck some eighty feet below._

_He let go with one hand and twisted himself about so he was facing the sail again. Quickly he reached upward for the smooth round spar. Once he had it gripped, he hauled himself back up with his strong muscles until he was sitting on it. The ship jerked again, much harder this time. The entire ship seemed to lift up out of the water as if something massive had struck it from below. The ship tilted then and he clung to the spar for his life, his knuckles white and his heart pounding crazy. The thought that he was going to die was strong in his mind. _

_Crew screamed and ran around down on the deck in a wild panic, the captain and officers shouting orders. They seemed like ants from his high vantage point, nothing more than moving blobs of colors. The ship fell back downward in a great splash, white water gushing up over the hull like a great wave and instantly soaking everyone. The water seemed to churn and froth even though there was no reason for it. He was scared to death. The sea had come alive as he had never seen her and she was out for blood and vengeance for unknown reasons. This was no storm so what was the cause?_

_Then he throat tightened as he caught a glimpse of some shadow that moved just under the water's surface. It was pale as an iceberg and as large as a whale, no, bigger yet. _

_The call came then, the one all seamen feared to hear: the hull was breached with a massive hole and she was going down. Mangled cries and shouts all blended together and he couldn't hear them clearly as chaos reigned. The ship moved sluggishly then, more downward than forward with the wind. Something hit the ship several more times in succession, screams almost drowning out the loud thumps. Crew fell overboard and the sea around the doomed ship turned red as if it were sunset even thought it was near midday. _

_Longboats were launched but they vanished with the crew aboard them. At the moment they had vanished he had his eyes closed and so he hadn't seen the thing that had apparently swallowed it. Truthfully he hadn't wanted to see it. It was just too awful._

_Crying now, his vision blurred and his nose running freely, he clung with his belly to the spar, his arms wrapped in a death grip. The entire ship was tilting now, the angle growing more and more pronounced. Soon the masts and sails would be in the water. Dread filled him. He didn't want to touch that water but there was no stopping it now. The ship was destroyed and rapidly sinking. Only a few scattered items floated upon the sea like flotsam. _

_Then the spar was just inches from the cold sea, his feet already in the salty liquid. A moment later the rest of him was submerged to his neck. He clung to the spar with his hands, only his head above the water. He was too scared to move, to try and swim for one of the barrels floating nearby. He had heard from his more experienced fellows that swimming sounds, thrashing, attracted sharks. He had no idea what that giant white shadow had been but he wasn't taking any chances. _

_The last thing he saw was a great dark maroon cavern shooting up around him, a cavern rimmed with pearly white. _

000

The three Shinigami sat there in silence after viewing the dramatic cinematic record, the horror of the man's last minutes still fresh in their minds. They still didn't know what it was, but they knew it hadn't been a kraken. They rowed back to the ship then and quickly scrambled on board, Eric bringing the board from the doomed ship's hull with the white object stuck in the wood. Pirates quickly hauled the longboat back onto the _Pearl_.

Eric was the first one to break the silence. "It's not a kraken, the thing that did this. The cinematic record showed that much. It's big and white, whatever it is."

Alan collapsed against the ship's railing in utter relief, beads of sweat on his brow. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and then straightened up. He tried to smile and think on the bright side but it was a bit hard to do. "It's good that it's not a kraken, right?"

"There be other sea beasts than the kraken, mate." Mr. Gibbs replied solemnly. "The kraken at least we know. Ye can damage the thing if ye put your mind to it and that'll give ya time to escape. But if it's some other beastie, a leviathan, then who knows? Hopefully we'll never see it again. The ocean is mighty large, too large to comprehend. It most likely left the area to hunt prey elsewhere."

"Any idea what this thing is?" Eric asked as he hoisted the board with the mysterious pearly object on it up for everyone to see. The thing glinted in the sunlight like mother-of-pearl.

Jack stepped closer, peering at it. He frowned then. "That's a tooth, mate, a very large tooth."

TBC…


	11. Becalmed

Jack Sparrow 11

Chapter 11: Becalmed

Jack frowned, turning his back on the sight of the gigantic tooth stuck in the dripping board, his dark dreadlocks flying outward from his movement. He knew all too well what kind of tooth it was. Any sailor worth his salt knew it by sight and feared it rightly so. The sight of it and the destroyed ship had dredged up the awful memories of the kraken, of being swallowed alive. He loved the sea dearly but the monstrous critters he could do without – still they seemed drawn to him as was the supernatural. "It be a shark tooth. Any sailor can tell ye that."

"Never saw one that big…" Mr. Gibbs said with worry in his dark eyes. "I don't like it, Captain. It must be a right monster!"

"Triffles!" Jack declared as he spun about to regard the others as he tried to shake the feeling of doom off. He could feel it creeping up his spine, icy fingers of death. The fact that he was immortal now didn't seem to matter, as he could feel it all just the same. It was instinct really and all good captains possessed it. Still he hoped it was just bad memories and not an ill omen for the future. Heaven knew weird thoughts floated about in his brain from the time spent in the locker, all of those copies of himself and then there had been that goat. "This be the Black Pearl and she be the fastest ship in the Caribbean, nay, the world!"

"That won't matter, Captain, it that thing bites a hole in our haul…" Mr. Gibbs uttered as he fearfully gazed out at the choppy dark water.

"Can it do that?" Ronald asked wide eyed. "I thought they attacked people in the water?"

"There will be none of that talk on me ship!" Jack declared loudly as he fumed as his first officer. "Are ye trying to incite a mutiny? The crew be superstitious as ye know. Now set top sails so we'll leave this bloody water behind."

"Sorry, Captain." Mr. Gibbs looked apologetic as he rushed off shouting the order to the crew. A moment later crew started to scramble up the ratlines to the very top to do as the captain had bid.

"I think it's time for another lesson…" William T. Spears informed them in a serious tone. "You have much to learn still and now is a good as time as any."

Jack sighed but knew there would be no getting out of it. He felt the ship pick up speed and a tad of his anxiety left him then but it did not totally dissipate either. He felt something was going to happen soon. It made him feel jittery and he twiddled his fingers, pulling a coin from his pocket and setting it to dance across his fingers with ease. He mutely followed Spears to the new "office" they had set up in Barbossa's old cabin. Soon the other recruits were gathered there as well. The experienced Dispatch Officers hung out near the window to watch the lesson. In the back of the room Ciel rested upon an elaborate chair with Sebastian standing at his side. It was their cabin, too, and as much as Spears desired to kick them out he couldn't.

"This is a Cinematic Record." William T. Spears said as he held one of the recently collected records before the five new recruits, the record securely pinched in the grip of his black-gloved fingers. It writhed and twisted like a live thing even though it looked like a roll of film. "When a person dies, the record springs forth from their body and hovers in the air. Our job is to collect them, but one must be careful. They can attack you easily. They can stab you, fill your head with their memories and wrap itself around your body. Today however you are just viewing this one so you know what they look like. Basically they are a record of a person's life. Reapers view the record so we can decide if a person should live or die. Very rarely is a person chosen to live. To choose that option, a person must be greatly important to the world."

"Important in what way?" Elizabeth asked him with interest.

"Like discovering a cure for a disease or stopping a war, not some frivolous thing like publishing a novel."

Jack eyed the flipping bit of film with disinterest. The only soul he was worried about was his own and that meant keeping the Pearl safe. That dark feeling was still nagging at him and his dark eyes went to the two demons at the back of the room. Was it just their dark presence he was feeling? He considered it for a moment and then rapidly dismissed it, as he hadn't felt it earlier from them. No, it was something else he sensed. He was lost in his thoughts when suddenly a red bit of sharp metal thudded into him without warning, rudely making a new tear in his sweat stained shirt.

"Mr. Sparrow, you will pay attention in class and not daydream about who knows what." William T. Spears adjusted his glasses once again, glaring with cold green eyes. "Truthfully, I don't even want to know what awful perverted thing you were thinking just now…"

"Actually, I was planning on how to prevent the awful calamity that might be heading our way…" Jack calmly replied as he glumly gazed at the tip of the hedge trimmer that was not sticking out of his poor tender flesh. It hurt like the devil but was no worse than any other sword wound he had received. "That be rude, mate."

"What calamity?" James Norrington demanded to know. "You're making things up again. Don't tell me the famous Captain Jack Sparrow is spooked by that wreck. There is not a cloud in sight and the air pressure is steady, hence no storms."

"There be more than storms to worry about mate. I feel it in me bones." Jack yanked the bit of sharp metal out and then to Spears surprise tore it out of his grip. He easily spun the long weapon about like a baton and then tossed it across the room with ease. It embedded itself in the wooden wall with a loud thud, the long pole vibrating. "Yer begging for it, mate. Traditionally it's a death sentence to attack a captain on a ship, but as I am not the killing type o man perhaps I'll just make ye governor of your own little island, aye?"

Spears rolled his eyes. "You're immortal! Didn't you learn that yet? That little scratch won't hurt you. That is what you get for not paying attention. Now answer the question."

No, it wouldn't hurt him but it wounded his pride. Jack hated to admit it but the grim man was right as he hadn't been paying attention. "What question?"

At the pirate's reply, Ronald shook his head sadly and Eric snorted.

"I have been speaking of the differences between the Shinigame Realm and here, the mortal plane. Now how do you get from one to the other?" William asked as he slowly walked to retrieve his death scythe.

Jack thought about the question for a moment. He recalled being down in the Locker and how they had escaped. It always came back to the bloody Locker, didn't it? And now he might as well be working in the cursed and haunted place. He recalled all too easily the miles and miles of endless sand, the Pearl trapped in that endless desert. He could almost feel the dry scorching heat again…

"Mr. Sparrow, the answer?" Spears demanded sourly as he yanked his weapon from the wall. "Or don't you know?"

"Of course I do, mate!" Jack uttered as his skin crawled unpleasantly. He took a few seconds to remind himself he was immortal now and past all of that, but it was hard to shake the feelings. Besides, immortal apparently wasn't all that immortal now was it, as one immortal was already dying and who to say he wouldn't be next? He did seem to have rotten luck at times. "It's quite easy."

"Yes?" Spears prompted.

"Ye need to rock the ship, loose the cannons and the cargo so it all moves about freely and have the crew run from rail to rail. The ship starts rocking and then she flips over in the sea. Mind you do this at sunset in the Locker. The world flips upside-down, the water rushes past ye and then it flips again. Then yer ship pops up out of the sea with white water gushing off of it, ye see the rare green flash and it's a sunrise in the mortal plane." Jack grinned, very pleased with himself at explaining it so well and having known the answer even if he hadn't been paying attention.

But then he noticed the other reapers were just gawking at him as if he had grown two heads. The pirate's broad smile vanished.

"That is the craziest story I ever heard!" Spears finally uttered with a look of disgust on his face. "You clearly are drunk to come up with such foolishness!"

"But it's true!" Jack insisted. "I remember doing it very clearly…it's not me fault yer not familiar with nautical ways…"

William T. Spears just stared at him. "Do you just expect me to believe that ships just leap out of the sea like fish?"

Jack stood, bent forward slightly and poked a somewhat dingy finger towards Spears. "I am Captain so it is my word we will be trusting. And you know where we are, I trust? Can ye find London Town on yer own, mate? Can ye navigate, read the stars and know exactly where on the map in the great big humongous Atlantic Ocean we are?"

Spears closed his eyes for a moment, clearly unhappy but admitting defeat. "No, I do not know where we are."

"I thought not. Now pay attention, mate. The rules are different out here. Davy Jones never bothered with these portals that ye use in London. I know that much. He just said…" Jack's dark eyes widened at a thought and the pirate slapped a hand over his own mouth. "Buggers! Now I have to watch me own words less I sink me ship!"

Jack ran off with hands held in the air. He absentmindedly passed right through a chair without noticing. He exited the cabin and vanished from sight.

"It seems he was paying attention after all…" Spears remarked once the pirate was gone. The supervisor looked as grim as ever but his eyes were narrowed, staring at the last spot Sparrow had been in. The man was hard to understand.

"William-san, are the rules different out here?" Alan asked as he turned to look at William for the answer.

For once Spears didn't have an answer. He adjusted his glasses while stalling for time. He cleared his throat as he tried to regain a bit of authority after the pirate's bold words. "I'm sure they're the same no matter what Mr. Sparrow just said."

"But Jack is right!" Elizabeth leaped from her seat, ever eager to defend her pirate friend. She had all of the passion and fury of her mother. "The Flying Dutchman does rise up out of the sea!"

"Yes, I'm sure it does…" Spears said without believing.

"You'll see." Elizabeth promised.

James stood from where he had been sitting during the class. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Spears, I have duties to attend to on deck as do my officers."

Elizabeth turned to watch James and his officers leave the cabin, thus leaving her alone with the reapers and the two demons.

It was soon after that the aforementioned calamity Jack feared came to pass but it arrived in an unexpected form.

The wind died and the Pearl's forward motion came to a slow halt. The rigging hung silent without any of the normal creaking and the black sails were empty, deprived of wind. The cool breeze caused by the rapid passage of the ship vanished and the merciless sun beat down on them from the cloudless sky. The ship, being black as she was, quickly grew hot as the black color drew in heat and held it. The water around the Pearl became as smooth as glass, not a single ripple marring its surface.

The deck crew paused in their work, glancing at each other but thinking nothing of it, not yet. They went back to scrubbing the deck while on their knees, water from wooden buckets sloshing everywhere.

A shudder went through the deck, something they all felt, and even those in the cabin turned office. Ronald looked uneasily at his fellows and put a hand out to steady himself. If he didn't he might have been knocked off of his feet. Alan stumbled forward and collided into Eric, who had to steady both of them. William took a few unsteady steps backward but remained standing without any problems and Grell rode it out easy enough even in his high heels.

"What was that?" Ciel demanded to know as he quickly rose to his feet and approached the others, Sebastian hot on his heels as always.

"We stopped…" Elizabeth replied with confidence after years spent on ships. "Listen, the wind died. The ship is silent…"

The others tilted their heads, listening and realized that she was right as the usual creaks and groans they had grown accustomed to were now absent. The constant rising and falling sensation was gone as well, as the ship was no longer passing over waves.

"Is it normal for the wind to die like this?" Ciel asked her.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I've spent most of my life in the Caribbean and there wasn't any lack of wind there. Let's go ask Jack."

"It seems that Mr. Sparrow's prediction has come true, unlikely as that is." Spears remarked.

Elizabeth turned and hurried out of the cabin, the others all following. There they found Jack already on deck, the captain glowering at his plump first mate.

"Mr. Gibbs! Why are we becalmed?" Jack demanded to know as he stood with his hands on his hips and a dark look in his eyes. The ship sitting idle and not moving, it was too much like his days in the Locker. Already he could feel the hot sun beating down on his head, a sensation that at the moment he didn't like one bit.

"The wind died, Captain." Mr. Gibbs replied promptly. "It just up and vanished. We're not even drifting. It's as if we're moored…"

Jack grimaced in utter disgust at the news. He stuck a finger in his mouth, wetting it. Once he decided it was sufficiently wet, he held it in the air. "Not a single breath of wind…"

Elizabeth moved to the rail and bent over it, her long tresses hanging in her face. Not a single strand of hair was lifted by a stray breeze. Using a hand to hold her hair out of her eyes, she stared down at the water near the hull. It was perfectly smooth like a mirror and without the slightest wave but as to how that was possible she didn't know. The sea was always moving even just a bit. "Jack, the sea is perfectly smooth…"

A groan escaped the pirate's lips and his hands went to his head. The burning pain in his head was back, the piercing pain he had felt back on the Queen Ann's Revenge. He had hoped he would be immune to the voodoo now but such was not his luck. Grim reapers could feel pain just fine, as Jack was finding out. And if the voodoo could actually kill him, that he didn't know but he didn't like taking chances. But the pain told him one thing very clearly: the lack of wind was no accident.

"Jack!" Elizabeth cried in concern as she hurried over to her pirate friend. "Are you OK?"

The dreadlocked pirate smiled at her, flashing golden teeth. The pain faded and he slowly lowered his hands. "I'm fine, love, just a touch of a voodoo curse."

"Voodoo? Really Mr. Sparrow…" William T. Spears remarked as he stood near the pirate captain, his ever present death scythe gripped in his hand. "When are we going to resume our journey to Isla de Muerta?"

"There are more things under the sun than you know of and voodoo is one of them. And as for setting sail; love to but we need wind for that and we are becalmed as you can see. I fear Angelica is to blame fer that…" Jack's frown increased as he thought of the beautiful pirate that was the daughter of Blackbeard. He really did care for her but she'd happily stab him in the back, especially after what had happened at the Fountain. "I thought she was lying about that chest of jewels…"

Elizabeth sighed as she realized it was another one of Jack's messes. "What chest of jewels and who is Angelica? Who's gunning for you this time?"

"Angelica is Blackbeard's daughter." Jack informed her as he thought of his most recent adventure. "She grew up in a Spanish convent and I unknowingly set her upon her wicked path. How was I to know it wasn't a brothel? It looked just like one, I swear…"

"Why am I not surprised?" Spears said dryly.

"She said the jewels could control the winds and tides. I thought she was making it up but it looks to be true. She can go attack and scuttle any ship she wants…a truly disquieting notion." Jack's dark eyes shifted about and saw everyone was staring at him. They expected him to supply the answer or to have some trick up his sleeve.

Mr. Gibbs shook his head sadly. "And here we are sitting ducks, unable to move. I best go set a watch. I don't want her sneaking up on us with cannons a blazing."

The first mate ran off to do just that.

Jack inched over to the two demons. He stopped before the smartly dressed butler, waving his hands about in the air. "Can ye make wind?"

"I am a demon, not a god." Sebastian explained to the pirate. "I deal in the material. Wind and weather are not things I can produce on demand. I can replenish the drinking water but wind is out of my ability."

"Was just asking, mate." Jack pulled a telescope from within his clothing and held it to his eye. He studied the sea for a moment silently. Past the calm water that surrounded the Pearl he could see the normal choppy waves. They were a bit of a distance off but not that far, not out of reach.

"Are we stuck here?" Alan asked in a worried tone. The idea of being stuck in the middle of the ocean with nothing around for thousands of miles, it was upsetting.

"Alan, calm down…" Eric placed a comforting arm around the smaller man's shoulders.

"But there's nothing out there!" Alan insisted to his friend and partner. "Just water!"

"I promised I'd get ye to Isla de Muerta and I will do just that." Jack placed a hand over his heart while looking very sincere and facing Alan. "No worries, mate. And that's not "nothing" out there. It may look like it but it's not. There's the Spanish Main with heavily laden galleons, exotic shores with balmy breezes and my favorite, Tortuga. The Caribbean is the best place on the Earth, much better than foggy old London Town."

"And how are you going to get us there without wind?" Eric asked skeptically.

Jack grinned. "Mr. Gibbs! Set up the sweeps!"

"Aye, Captain!"

Little windows were propped open along the outer hall as the deck crew gathered down below in the hold to run the sweeps. They settled on long benches and gripped the long oars in their hands. The oars were incredibly long and could reach the silent sea next to the hull without any difficulty. Sitting in the front row were Elizabeth's two friends, Pintel and Ragetti.

"Elizabeth, darling, if you'd please?" Jack asked as he held his hand out indicating the doorway to the hold.

"Jack, you can't row all the way to Isla de Muerta!" She protested. "It's too far!"

"We don't have to. The wind is out there. It's just not here."

"Oh." Elizabeth easily ran down the familiar steps into the belly of the ship. There she was met with the crew sitting on the benches ready to row. She stopped before them and saw her pirate friends grinning at her. They were all waiting for the order to be given to start rowing.

"I wonder how we'll get out of this one?" Pintel asked a bit nervously as he looked upward at her.

"That's a lot of open water." Ragetti agreed.

"Jack always comes through." Elizabeth reminded them. "I have confidence in him."

"But it aint good if there's some magic jewels working against us!" Pintel said sharply, his hands tightening on the oar he held. He was used to the supernatural but he preferred it when the stuff was on their side.

"Good ol' Captain Jack, he'll get us through this somehow!" Ragetti cried as he agreed with Elizabeth.

Footsteps were heard on the stairs behind her and she turned to see the others coming down. Spears was forced to hold his death scythe at an angle so the long pole would fit through the doorway. He came up alongside her and studied the ragged group of pirates gathered together at the sweeps. Many of them gazed at him suspiciously, even if they had seen him on deck before. He was just too clean and dressed funny by their standards.

"This is Sparrow's solution?" He remarked in a doubting voice as he adjusted his square framed glasses. "Not that I can supply any other…"

Grell's heels clattered on the wooden steps as he joined his daughter below. He wrinkled his nose at the strong odors that hung in the air. Frankly put, it smelled worst than the East End of London where the poor lived in horrid conditions. At least the breeze could blow through there freely and rain helped wash the stench away on a regular basis. But here the smell was bottled up with just tiny ports to allow air in and out. The cannon ports did a bad job of ventilation, as they weren't really meant for that. "Ooh, it smells down here…"

"They're pirates. What do you expect?" Spears reminded him. "If Sparrow refuses to bathe I don't see why these others would."

Eric, Alan and Ronald joined them a moment later, the two demons hot on their heels. They crowded around Elizabeth and gazed at the long oars expectedly.

Jack squeezed his way to the front. He turned to Elizabeth. "Some proper motivation, love?"

"Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul, yo ho heave ho…" Elizabeth started to sing. "We're men whose hearts are as black as coal…"

Jack joined her a moment later, waving his hands at the reapers and the demons indicating they should join in. As Jack and Elizabeth sung, the crew rowed in time to the music.

Ciel, being the wealthy noble he was, certainly didn't know the words and looked somewhat startled at the singing. Sebastian, always the perfect butler and capable of everything but creating a strong breeze it seemed, joined in. What kind of butler would he be if he didn't know the words to a sea shanty? Ciel looked up at him surprised, as it wasn't a "proper" song at all and certainly not fit for high society – but then these were pirates. Maybe demons were more like pirates than noblemen anyway? Good decent men didn't go around gobbling up souls now did they? Either way, Sebastian's lovely singing voice joined with his daughter's and then Grell joined in, making it a family affair.

The song ended as it was rather short really but they just restarted it again. The words were rather easy and on the second rendition Eric, Alan and Ronald joined in. William looked doubtful about singing a song about murder and treachery, but he did want the ship to get moving again and if singing a pirate song did that…and so he gave in and sang as well. He also duly noted the song mentioned Davy Jones, which he thought was interesting. Even Ciel joined in.

A bit of music snuck in through the background, supplied by Sebastian's magic which made both the singing and rowing easier. He couldn't make it too obvious as the crew might realize something weird was going on. But an instrument or two aboard a ship was not unusual and the crew was so busy rowing in time, pulling with all of their might and sweating that none questioned the sounds in the background.

And for the first time on the trip, Ronald found himself having a good time. He tapped his toes, clapped his hands and had fun with the peppy pirate song. The rhythm was a good choice for rowing, too.

The ship jerked forward then and all of the reapers stumbled. They had sailed out of the dead zone and the sails had caught the breeze, making the ship jump forward.

"We got the wind!" Mr. Gibbs shouted down the stairwell.

"I know." Jack replied with a smile. Of course, he had stayed on his feet throughout it all.

Pintel and Ragetti cheered happily, broad grins crossing their sweaty faces. They hugged each other and then quickly helped Elizabeth to her feet.

"I knew we could do it!" Ragetti cried as he wiped a tear off of his cheek.

And just like that the ship shook again, the wind dying. The crew fell silent and their eyes flew to the captain.

"This isn't the answer." Jack said glumly as his face darkened. "Angelica has those jewels and she's using them against us. If we row to the next windy spot, she'd just do it again and again. I can't sink her because she's clearly not in range. There's not a ship in sight. Whatever she's doing, she's doing it long distance…"

Pintel glared at his partner in crime, punching him roughly on his arm. "You jinxed it!"

"I did not! I was just celebrating like you!" Ragetti countered. "What are we going to do, Captain?"

"I need to think." Jack replied as he turned to go topside. He clumped up the stairs and soon appeared on the deck. A glum looking Mr. Gibbs was there to greet him with a sad shake of the head. Without another word, the captain vanished inside his cabin.

000

Elizabeth settled herself on the stairs to the poop deck, one of her favorite places to sit on the Pearl. She had sat here many a times in the past and no doubt would in the future. The hot sun beat down on her and she weakly waved a dainty lady's fan at herself to create a slight breeze. The steps themselves were hot, fried from the sun, but she was used to that from the Caribbean. The heat sunk into her flesh and after chilly London it was kind of refreshing, almost like home really. She heard the others come up out of the interior of the ship, their boots and dress shoes loud on the wooden steps. Muffled voices drifted to her ears. From what little she could hear, Ronald was the only one still cheerful and singing the song to himself. It grew silent then and she imagined Spears must have given him one of those glares.

Two figures approached her. It was Alan and Eric. The two settled themselves down on the steps next to her. The stairs were now effectively blocked, not that they or anyone else cared. There was always the staircase on the other side.

"We'll never reach those coins now…" Alan sighed unhappily, truly sounding depressed. "We'll be stuck here forever…"

"Jack will find a solution." She promised him. Elizabeth knew all too well how he must feel. She had been depressed and gloomy after Jack had died, swallowed by the kraken. It had been a heavy burden to carry and it had cost her the relationship with Will. Neither could feel that they could trust the other and so they had broken up. Maybe it wasn't the same as facing death oneself, but the despair and gloom surely was very close.

"Yeah? How?" Eric asked skeptically. "Even that demon can't make wind. He said so himself."

"But Calypso can!" Elizabeth sat up straight from where she had been slouching against the stairs, her heart suddenly thudding fast at the idea.

"Who's Calypso?" Alan asked as he turned his head to look at her.

"The sea goddess Calypso…" Elizabeth added for his benefit as her mind whirled with the idea.

Eric snorted. "And some strange goddess is going to create wind just for us and then a heathen one at that? I've been a reaper for a long time, not as long as Grell or William, but long enough to say I haven't seen a god. We're lucky if we see an angel once every sixty years or so. I suppose it's a nice idea, kid, but it's not going to get us moving."

"You don't understand. I know Calypso." Elizabeth thought of the dark skinned woman with the thick accent that had sailed with her to the Locker and then to Shipwreck Cove. Once they had freed her, she had grown into a giant and then had turned into thousands of crabs.

Eric laughed, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. He leaned back against the stairs in a relaxed manner. "You're stories are as wild as Jack's."

"She was right here, on this ship." Elizabeth pointed towards the mast. "I sailed with her. She was tied to that mast and then we freed her, as she was bound in human form. She rapidly grew as large as the mast itself and then she rained down on us as thousands of crabs."

Alan gazed at her uncertainly. "Is that true?"

"Of course it is." Elizabeth replied as sincerely as she could. "I realize how it sounds, but I swear it's true."

"Well, go on, call her then." Eric goaded her with a crooked smile.

She stared at him hard. "You want me to call her?"

"Of course. It's the fastest way for you to learn that nothing will happen." He waved his black gloved fingers at her, indicating that she should get busy with calling the heathen goddess.

Elizabeth bit her lip uncertainly, pondering if there was some sort of protocol involved in calling a goddess. Were you supposed to have a gift or something? The thing is she didn't really know. She had never tried to summon her before. "I think we're supposed to have a gift for her?"

The blonde reaper laughed but pulled a small flask of bourbon out of his jacket pocket. He tossed it to Elizabeth. "Give her that."

Elizabeth caught the container Eric tossed her, taking a moment to read the small label on it. Alcohol. She didn't realize immortals drank alcohol but at least it wasn't rum. She got up off the stairs and glanced around for some sort of container, as she recalled how all of the Pieces of Eight had been placed into a shallow metal pan.

Alan turned to his partner and best friend. "Why are you encouraging her?"

"Because we need to be role models for the new recruits and the only way for her to learn that nothing will happen is by actually trying it. You learn by making mistakes."

"But what if something does happen?" Alan asked in a somewhat worried tone. "Didn't the Captain of the Dutchman mention the same goddess?"

Eric shrugged. "Only thing I recall is he couldn't spell."

Elizabeth found a shallow metal pan and picked it up. What it was doing up on the deck she didn't know, but she'd swear it was the same exact one that had been used to burn the Pieces of Eight. She carried it over near the stairs where the two Dispatch Officers were sitting and set it on the deck. Twisting the cap off the glass flask, she poured the liquid contents into the pan. Straightening, she threw the flask back to Eric, who caught it easily and pocketed it once again. She took a step backward away from the metal pan, recalling how last time the items had caught fire. The bourbon should burn easily and in case it did burst into flames, she didn't want to be too close.

Trepidation was in her heart though and she bit her lip again. She recalled Calypso could be fickle or that's what the pirates had said about her. She could just as easily call up a storm as well as calm weather. She was like the sea, ever changing. But they weren't going to get anywhere just sitting here, stuck like a fly in amber. And Jack, his preferred method was running and he couldn't do that now either. Maybe it really was up to her as the Pirate King?

Spears appeared in the doorway of the cabin, as if he sensed something was afoot. He glanced around the deck and spotted Elizabeth standing on the deck before a metal pan. For the life of him, he could make no sense of her actions. He was about to call out when she threw her arms up into the air.

"Calypso! We your humble servants call upon you in our hour of need…" Elizabeth called, using many of the same words Barbossa had used on the previous occasion. It had worked for him and that was good enough for her.

"Calypso?" William T. Spears said to himself as surprise flooded through him. He suddenly recalled Undertaker's mysterious words, that Elizabeth had the ears of higher ups. Is that what the old crazy man had meant, a heathen goddess?

Alan watched with interest and Eric leaned back with a grin.

With a loud whoosh, the bourbon burst into flame and the metal pan lifted into the air by invisible hands to hover there.

The confident grin vanished off of Eric's face and was quickly replaced by a look of surprise. He hadn't really expected anything to happen and now that it did he was at a loss.

Elizabeth smiled smugly, knowing she had won the argument. She recalled what Barbossa had done next and so she dropped to her knees on the deck. She waved a hand at the two, indicating that they should do the same. A bit of fear must have been in them because they quickly complied.

The sky darkened then, dark clouds rushing in from nowhere to blot out the blue. Elizabeth felt a cold breeze lift the hair off her shoulders, blowing it into her green eyes. The fire in the pan was still blazing, crackling.

Spears, who was still standing in the doorway of the cabin, was shocked at what he was seeing. Had Grell's daughter really just summoned a goddess with a single sentence?

Something hit the deck then. The item fell out of the thunderclouds overhead and hit with a loud clatter. The thing bounced and then rolled until it came to a halt near William's polished dress shoes. He bent from the waist to better peer at it, curious as to what it was. It looked very much like a white rock, but that was insane. Rocks couldn't fall from the sky. He poked it cautiously with the tip of his shoe and jerked backward when it moved, split open.

More of the rocks were falling from the sky now and landing on the deck. The startled deck crew wasted no time in running below for safety, but Elizabeth confidently stayed put. Amazingly none of them hit her even though they were landing all around her. Both Eric and Alan were wide-eyed at the unexpected events, but like her the rocks were not hitting them.

And as mysterious as the rain of rocks has started, it stopped. The sky cleared and the peaceful blue returned. The round pan fell to the deck with a loud metallic clatter, the fire gone.

Then the rocks on the deck sprouted legs and started to move together. They were white crabs really and not rocks at all. The crabs flowed together to form a column and a moment later a dark skinned female figure stood there.

"Where is dat Jack Sparrow?"

TBC…

Note: Every POTC movie has a song in it, so I continued that tradition here. Besides, we all know the Black Butler characters can sing so nicely.

Sorry this wasn't updated for a long time, but the last few months have been bad. I got sick before Thanksgiving, then the holiday hit, my electrical power kept cutting out (which meant I would be trying to write something and my computer would just shut off without warning – just go black – hard to write that way) … turns out the supply wire on the outside of the house was loose hence the frequent power failures … and then my finger got swollen which made it hard to type… sigh. Oh and my pet died between Thanksgiving and Christmas of cancer. Hopefully this new year will be better than the end of '12.

Oh and I think I misplaced Madame Red in this chapter.

I shall get the next chapter up soon!


	12. A Touch of Destiny

Jack Sparrow 12

Chapter Twelve: A Touch of Destiny

The dark skinned woman had her black hair in dreadlocks just like Jack, some of the tangled strands nearly reaching her waist. Her lips were thick and covered in black lipstick, the inky blackness darker than her caramel colored skin. She wore a simple dress in vibrant browns and reds, the colors of the earth. It was homespun material, far from what one would expect a goddess to wear. The sleeves ended at her elbows, the fabric there loose. Bits of seashell were tied onto her clothing in various places as well as a covering of lace on her sleeves. A large silvery pendant hung from her neck on a metal beaded chain; it being her music box that reminded her of Davey Jones. She stood there on the deck, surveying those around her with deep brown all-seeing eyes.

When the white rocks had started to rain from the sky, most of the deck crew had run for the safety of the ship's interior, their hands shielding their heads. Pintel and Ragetti, being two who had sailed with both Jack and Barbossa during some very strange events, had stayed where they were. And so when the white crabs had transformed into the goddess Calypso they had cheered wildly, clasping hands and swinging each other around the deck while hopping about in excitement. Then they raced to Elizabeth and pulled her to her feet.

"It's Calypso!" Pintel shouted at her with glee. "Now we'll get somewhere! She'll smite whoever's hexing the Captain!"

"I thoughts I'd never see her again…" Ragetti sniffed a bit sadly as he recalled how he had said the incantation to free her. Without a doubt, it had been one of the most touching moments in his life. He was just an average pirate, a nobody, without any real hope of having his own ship or anything like that, but he had freed a goddess. That moment was something he'd always remember. "I gave ups me eye for her…"

Elizabeth nodded at her two friends. "Yes, it's why I called her."

Eric and Alan watched the two scruffy pirates talking to Elizabeth in amazement, as neither could imagine how two dirt ridden pirates could know a goddess. They still knelt on the hard deck on their knees where they had fallen a few moments before, too shocked to move. The next moment the short balding pirate seemed to notice them there and locked his dark eyes upon them. Up until now they had managed to avoid contact with the pirates save for Jack Sparrow, the deck crew avoiding them due to their too-clean appearance and odd mode of dress but they feared that was about to end.

Pintel raced towards them, a wide smile on his greasy face. "It's Calypso!"

The next moment the pirate gripped Alan about his wrist and pulled him to his feet, an unpleasant odor of sweat and grime wafting off of him. Ragetti quickly did the same to Eric.

Pintel rubbed his hands together in pleasure. "Last time she created the Maelstrom! Wonder what she'll do this time?"

"But it's was scary sailing into that…" Ragetti admitted nervously as he recalled the incident. His real eye flittered to where the goddess was standing on the deck surveying those around her, his other covered by a black eye patch. "Never saw nothing like that before…"

"What's a maelstrom?" Alan asked somewhat uneasily. The word was unfamiliar and he had never heard it before.

"It's this great circular area of rushing water, the water white capped and spinning rapidly down into a deep pit in the center!" Pintel spread his arms wide with a flourish, a glint in his dark eyes. The short pirate loved telling stories about his many adventures, especially the odd and exciting ones.

"And we sailed into it…" Ragetti quickly added.

Pintel shot his taller nephew a dirty look. "I'm telling the story!"

"Sorry…" Ragetti replied.

"And so we sailed into the Maelstrom, Captain Barbossa at the helm. We were on the _Pearl_, of course, and we battled the _Flying Dutchman_. She's a cursed ship of evil fish-men and captained by Davey Jones. We went deeper in, the waters faster than ever! The deck was titled at a crazy angle and then the _Dutchman_ was across from up. Our masts got tangled together then and we fought the fish-men!"

"Freaky they were…" Ragetti said in a hushed whisper as he shivered.

"Yeah, they were un-natural. You couldn't kill them. Slice one open and live fish spilled out of his gut! One guy's head fell off and it grew legs and walked off!" Pintel scowled at the memory. "But we won! Davey Jones heart was stabbed and Will Turner became the new captain of the _Dutchman_."

"And the fish-men went back to normal men…" Ragetti added as he raised a hand to his cheek. "All of the stuff fell off of them, the sea urchins and starfish…"

"But it's still a cursed ship." Pintel eyed the two neat and tidy grim reapers, still scowling a bit. "What kind of pirates are you two anyway?"

"Yeah, we've been speculating." Ragetti waited eagerly to hear what the newcomers would say.

"Look, we're not pirates." Eric explained with a wave of his hand. "And the _Flying Dutchman_ is not a cursed ship. It's a ship of reapers."

Elizabeth sighed, knowing that the blonde had just dropped a bombshell on her two pirate friends. It would probably start an argument. The only good thing is that both Pintel and Ragetti were very familiar with the supernatural and handled it well.

"What the heck is a reaper?" Pintel asked with a dumb expression on his face, his mouth hanging open a bit. His dark eyes, however, had a suspicious glint to them as he stared at the blonde with the black cornrows near one ear.

"A reaper, a grim reaper?" Eric repeated unbelieving the two didn't know the term. "I'm sure you heard of it before…"

"DEATH!" Grell exclaimed as he suddenly appeared next to his two co-workers, Madame Red at his side. The redheaded Shinigami grinned and made his trademark hand signal with two fingers plus his thumb up in the air. The two had come down the stairs from the poop deck when they realized something was going on. "We are glorious DEATH!"

Pintel and Ragetti exchanged glances.

"We gots to call them something now that they're not fish-men…" Ragetti slowly said as he thought the matter over carefully.

"Yeah, but I still say they're cursed!" Pintel exclaimed loudly, his views firm.

"I am not cursed!" Grell bristled at the words, clearly insulted. His green ringed eyes took on a yellowish cast.

"I didn't say you were." Pintel glared at the redhead as if he were stupid. "I said the _Dutchman_ was cursed! What do you think you are; one of them grim reaper things?"

"But we are reapers!" Grell proudly exclaimed as he leaned closer to the balding pirate, allowing the man to see his unearthly ringed eyes. "Really, do you think I'm a _human_ with eyes like these?"

Pintel gulped nervously. He hadn't noticed the eyes before, mainly because he hadn't been close enough to see them in any detail. He had seen they were green, yes, but not had noticed the unusual rings in them. An uneasy laugh came out of his mouth and he took a few steps away from the wild redhead. "No offense!"

"They look kind of pretty…" Ragetti added as he tried to smooth things over, but the news startled him as well. He hadn't realized that the funny dressed men on the ship were reapers like the crew of the _Dutchman_.

"I just hope the goddess can get us moving again." Alan said softly. "We need to reach Isla de Muerta."

"Why would we be going there?" Pintel asked as the pirate knew all about the Island of the Dead and had been there many times before.

"Alan is sick." Eric explained as he wrapped a comforting arm around the shorter brunette's shoulders. "He has the Thorns of Death and the Captain told us about those coins…"

"The cursed Aztec gold!" Ragetti shouted as his eye lit up with understanding. "You can't die when you have one of them coins…"

"We had them coins before…" Pintel admitted. "They made us immortal, but it was still a curse! I was glad to be free of them. But it's moot, as ye can't get to them coins anyway."

"What do you mean?" Alan asked a bit fearfully. "Captain Sparrow said they're in a cave…"

"That they are, but the sea swallowed the cave and all!" Pintel informed them as he frowned. "We spent years gathering treasure in that cave and it was all for nothing! It's all under water and the sea there is infested with sharks. No one in their right mind would go swimming in that water!"

"Otherwise we'd be rich men now and I could buy a new eye…" Ragetti thought sadly of all of the priceless treasure that was out of his reach. He lifted his single eye onto Alan, a sad expression on his face. "You don't want that coin. It does things to you. Them Aztecs and their god Qutza…"

"Quetzalcoatl…" Pintel spat. "I hate that name…"

"Yeah, him. He cursed them coins and they only bring misery." Ragetti thought of the long years he had spent starving under the curse. He wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.

"Look, it doesn't matter." Eric said firmly. "We'll get there and we'll reach the coins somehow. I doubt if shark infested water will stop that demon…"

"D-demon?" Ragetti's face paled at the word. "W-what demon?"

"Sebastian." Eric replied as he answered the question. His face darkened a bit though as he began to realize that Jack Sparrow hadn't told them everything. The pirate hadn't told them the cave was under water. What else did he not mention?

Pintel turned to gape open mouthed at Elizabeth. "Your father is a _demon_?"

"Yes, he is." Elizabeth admitted with a small nod of her head. "And I'm a grim reaper now. So's Jack."

"Well, I hope he's a nice demon…" Ragetti cautiously said. An idea seemed to occur to him then and he counted on his fingers. His one remaining eye grew wide and he quickly pointed a finger at Alan, giggling. "Trice cursed! Bootstrap was only twice cursed…"

Pintel thought it was hilarious and started to laugh too, slapping Ragetti on his back in a friendly manner.

Elizabeth looked apologetic over the two pirates' rude behavior. "They mean well, they just don't have very many manners I'm afraid…"

It was clear to the reapers and Madame Red that Pintel and Ragetti were not the brightest, no, they were scruffy pirates.

"Don't worry about it." Alan told her as he thought over what the pirates had told them. Was the coin the temporary answer as Jack claimed or was it bad news as the thin but tall pirate said? Ragetti's words had seemed earnest and heart-felt. What exactly would the coin do to him and who was this Quetzalcoatl? He doubted if he could even pronounce that tongue-twister of a name. But there was little he could do at the moment and so he waited to see what the goddess would do, if anything.

000

The moment she appeared on deck, Sebastian noticed the power surge from where he was within the cabin attending to Ciel. It was unmistakable, that gush of raw power. It had been ages since he had felt the strange tingling sensation that made his skin crawl and he frowned.

"What is that?" Ciel asked as he glanced up at Sebastian with confusion, as he felt it too. The young demon had no experience with other beings except reapers and so he did not recognize the energy signature he was now feeling.

"Trouble…" The older demon explained with a frown, making his displeasure known. "A god has apparently come down from the Heavens above…"

"A g-god?" Ciel gasped in utter shock as it was the last thing he had been expecting. He jumped out of the ornate chair he had been sitting in, his mouth agape and his blue eye round as a saucer. He had accepted his fate long ago, knowing that he would never see Heaven or any of his long dead family members that had gone there. His mind whirled with confusion. "But why would a god come here? I thought no one has ever seen God!"

"There are many gods and pantheons…" the elder demon explained to the younger one. "In centuries long gone their appearances to mortals was much more common than it is today. They are pests truthfully and cause much havoc. They love interfering in peoples' lives and making them miserable."

"But…" Ciel was shocked by the words, as that was not what he had been raised to believe. Of course a lot of that fell apart that dreadful day of the fire. His parents had been murdered and he had been kidnapped by that crazy cult. Then he had summoned Sebastian. Without a doubt, his faith had burned away with his original home and warm family. Still, he did not expect this at all.

"Really, Bocchan, didn't you ever read Homer?" Sebastian looked disappointed in his lack of education. He moved towards the door of the cabin, his long tail coats fluttering in his wake. He was curious to see which god he would have to deal with. He saw that Spears was already standing there in the doorway, the ever present hedge trimmer in his hand, and he moved to stand next to him. Ciel then squeezed between the two as he gazed at the dark skinned woman with open curiosity.

Was she really a goddess? Her appearance did not match the idea Ciel had in his head at all. He had imagined smoothed hair that glistened like gold, fair skin and fine robes and other things that shouted high quality and expensive tastes. This was the exact opposite. "Who is she?"

"I am uncertain." The elder demon replied.

Jack Sparrow appeared then as he emerged from his captain's cabin that was nearby, a rum bottle clutched in one hand. The pirate's dark eyes landed on the goddess and a large grin spread out across his face. Eagerly he headed towards her, his arms spread in a warm welcome. "Tia Dalma! How nice of ye to drop in for a visit!"

"Jack Sparrow…" A wide grin spread over the goddess's face upon seeing him, warmth lighting her chocolate eyes. She moved towards Jack, her long skirt dragging on the wooden deck behind her. Her toes poked out from under the long skirts and it soon became clear she was barefoot.

"It appears," William T. Spears said dryly as he watched the unexpected exchange. "That Mr. Sparrow is on a first name basis with a heathen goddess…"

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Jack asked as he gazed upon her, his mind clicking rapidly. He placed his palms together as if in prayer and leaned forward, a hopeful expression on his face. "I don't suppose ye could spare a bit of wind, aye?"

"I notice you're working fer me now, Jack." Tia Dalma's eyes scanned the Pirate Lord from head to foot and then back up again. White teeth flashed in her mouth as she spoke, her accent strong. "A touch of destiny…"

Jack knew all too well what the phrase meant. Tia Dalma had said the phrase to Will Turner and later he had become the Captain of the _Flying Dutchman_, ferrying the souls to the other side. Of course, Jack had seen the other side now and all that it entailed: desks, a sour supervisor and too much paperwork. The disagreeable image of Davey Jones flashed through his mind; the man's face an abnormal color with nasty tentacles wiggling on his chin. A cold hand seemed to travel down his spine and he shivered despite the heat on the ship. He did _not_ like tentacles, no. He quickly raised a finger of questionable cleanness into the air. "We are on a mission, an _important_ mission, missions even!"

Ronald chose that moment to come up behind William, Sebastian and Ciel as he realized something was going on. He peered between the gap between William's and Sebastian's shoulders, his mouth opening to form an 'O'. There was a strange woman on board, one that he had never seen before and for the life of him he couldn't figure out where she had come from. "Who's that, William-san?"

"A heathen goddess, the one named Calypso apparently." William replied in a sour tone.

A gasping sound came from the blonde's mouth, his green ringed eyes growing even larger behind his dark framed glasses. Before the new recruits had joined up, he had been the youngest Dispatch Officer.

"Gods are more trouble than they're worth." Sebastian stated firmly.

"Only a demon would say such a thing." William said as he adjusted his glasses with a finger. "Although I know nothing of these heathen gods or goddesses, as we work for Heaven and do the Lord's will."

Tia Dalma turned towards them, intense eyes locking onto the speakers who had been talking about her. A finger pointed at William's chest. "You work for me, William T. Spears."

The fact that she knew his name startled him, as he hadn't expected some heathen goddess to know that. His grip tightened on his hedge trimmer and suddenly he felt uneasy. He was used to being in charge, of knowing things but she was the unknowable, a loose cannon. His mouth grew dry and he swallowed uneasily. He thought of denying it but then he recalled what Will Turner had said; that Calypso had been the one to assign him to the Flying Dutchman. Maybe grim reapers _did_ work for Calypso and just didn't know it. Were there not many higher positions above his, countless others who knew more than he did? Who knew what secrets they were privy to?

"You _all_ work for me, everyone aboard this ship." Tia Dalma waved her hand through the air to indicate everyone. "Yes, you will all serve me."

With a flick of her hand, all of their names appeared on the ship's roster. Most of their names had already been there but the few who hadn't been joined the others. As the roster was kept in the captain's cabin this bit of magic went unseen.

"Tia Dalma, love, could ye spare a bit of wind?" Jack asked hopefully for a second time. He really wanted to get moving as he hated being trapped like this.

"De map of me father was stolen." Tia Dalma said as she poked a long fingernail into Jack's chest. "You will get it back fer me. In exchange I will get yer ship a moving, but I cannot give ye de wind at dis time."

"And ye father is…?" Jack's face twisted into uncertainty at her statement. He realized that there was a lot of gods and goddesses out there, but Tia Dalma was the only one he was well acquainted with. "And how can the _Pearl_ move without wind? That doesn't make any sense, love."

"Poseidon is me father." She informed him. "He be the mighty sea god! Long ago he made de map with de jewels from his gauntlets and bracers. This map was hidden away but it be stolen now. You will get it back fer me, Jack Sparrow."

Jack frowned at this, as he feared that Angelica had it. "I thought that's what was hexing us…"

"There be another matter though, Jack." The goddess stated.

"And what would that be?" Jack eyed her somewhat nervously. For some reason Tia Dalma always made him nervous. He could never be certain what she would do and she could do some really freaky stuff.

"You broke the Fountain, Jack." The goddess accused him with a dark glint in her eyes.

"I did not! I did not break the Fountain! It was those bloody Spanish that broke it!" Jack quickly exclaimed as he fought to prove his innocence of the matter.

"The Fountain of Youth is broken?" Ciel gasped in utter shock, as this was the first he had heard that bit of news.

"You have the chalices, Jack." Tia Dalma waved her hand and the two silver chalices fell out of the bit of fabric about his waist where he had been keeping them for safe measures. They hit the deck with a loud clatter and rolled about until they came to a stop. The bright sunlight gleamed on them, revealing a few dents.

The dreadlocked pirate quickly bent and picked them back up, holding one in each hand. "So? That doesn't mean I broke it."

"Nether less you will fix it. You have the means to do that now." The goddess stated firmly as her eyes flittered to the demon. "Me father created the Fountain many ages ago. The Earth was new. He took him trident and thrust it into da rock. Instantly water sprang forth. Dat water is the source of all water, of de water ye drink and of de water that makes de sea currents. Without de Fountain, de water will dry up. And without de sea currents,, de Earth will cool. Warm places grow cold, colder places be frozen."

"I didn't know all of that!" Jack protested as he imagined his beloved seas drying up. It was a most horrible notion, one he had to prevent right away! "How was I supposed to know that? No one bloody tells me these things!"

"You accept de missions?" She asked him.

"Aye!" Jack quickly shouted. He waved both hands in the air towards the front of the ship. "Get me moving!"

"You recall Davey Jones?" Tia Dalma asked him. "Him had pet that me give him."

"That bloody thing was a menace, not a pet!" The Pirate Lord protested.

"Now that you like Jones me give you pet." She simply stated as she raised a hand in the air.

At the unexpected words, Jack dark eyes bugged out in panic and he shook his head, his dreadlocks flying about. "No, no, no, no, no! No kraken! I don't want a kraken!"

An amused smile graced Calypso's lips. "There be other sea creatures besides the kraken, Jack Sparrow. Me would think ye know dis."

A loud exclamation came from atop the poop deck then as Mr. Gibbs had spotted something out at sea heading their way rapidly. "Jack! Something be heading straight for us!"

Everyone turned then and they saw it. The thing, whatever it was as it definitely was not another ship, rose up high in the air, higher even than their spars or the main mast. The sun was behind it so all they could make out was a tall dark shadowy shape that was tall and thin.

"My God, what is that thing?" Theodore Groves said as he stared at it open mouthed.

"Yet another odd creature no doubt." James Norrington remarked dryly. For him, the odd and unusual was rapidly becoming an everyday occurrence.

As the creature came closer it soon became apparent that it had a long tubular body like a snake. It was longer than the _Black Pearl_ herself, a real feat for a creature indeed as only the kraken had been that immense. It was dark brown in color, almost chocolate, except for a patch of the brightest yellow on its inner throat right under its chin. It had a somewhat pointed snout and otherwise its head was shaped like a snake. High bony ridges were above its eyes, the eyes themselves glistened like black pearls. As it opened its mouth, it soon became clear the beast was a carnivore as long dagger-like teeth were revealed. Its body was covered in hard scales much akin to a fish or a reptile, but the scales looked smooth and slick, wet from the sea. Some type of mane grew from the back of its head and it fluttered in the sea breeze caused by its rapid travel. Whether this was hair or some other substance it was not known but it was as black as night and it grew down its incredibly long neck and onto its back as well. Four large fins propelled it through the water with ease, a long wake left in its rear. A snake-like tail was in the rear, the tail giving it even more length.

Elizabeth gasped, quickly backing away from the side rail. The way it was raised high in the air like that and its shape, it reminded her too much of the kraken's tentacles. She recalled how easily those deadly tentacles had smashed the wood of the _Pearl_ as if they were matchsticks. This thing, whatever it was, could do the same. At least they had been ready for the kraken… Still, she tried to calm herself, to remember that Tia Dalma had called this beast over and that hopefully it meant them no harm. But that shape still drew up bad memories.

Ciel never dreamed such a thing could exist. It was just so incredibly massive. "Sebastian, protect my aunt! I can't allow anything to happen to her!"

The young Earl knew he shouldn't have allowed Madame Red to come on this journey, but she had been insistent. She saw it all as some pleasure cruise, a sea excursion when it was in fact a dangerous mission fraught with threats everywhere. So far she had spent most of the voyage up on the rear of the poop deck, enjoying the salty sea air and the sun. Her broad brimmed hat and a parasol protected her from sunburn. There she rested drinking tea that Grell brought her and ogling the officers that stood before her, most likely without them knowing. She also had some books to read and that ate up the hours. In fact, she had been so caught up in some steamy romance novel that Grell had given her, the book horribly dog-eared, that she had missed out on the singing and rowing. When he had asked her about it later, she had proclaimed that she had been at the 'best part' of the story and couldn't possibly be interrupted for some trivial thing.

"At once, My Lord." Sebastian bowed to the young demon and darted to Madame Red's side instantly. Even he had to admit he had never seen such a creature. He had heard tales of them, yes, but humans were always making up wild stories. One thing was clear though: his Phantomhive silverware would not do much to such a creature.

Madame Red was gazing upward with large red eyes, one hand holding her hat onto her head. With her head tilted back as far as it was, she feared her hat may tumble off of her head and onto the dirty deck. "What on Earth is that thing?"

Ronald felt jittery , his feet shifting about of their own free will. He thought of dashing into the safety of the cabin but pondered if it was really safe in there. The thing could easily swallow a man whole by the looks of it. "William-san?"

William was at a loss of what he should or could do.

Alan pressed himself against Eric's side as if that would protect him. He was no coward but he had never seen anything so massive before. Suddenly Elizabeth's tall tales of the kraken became all too real and easy to believe. This thing was proof that things that large did indeed exist.

Mr. Gibbs' head was swiveling from the rapidly approaching beast to the captain. He left the wheel and raced down the stairs to the captain's side. Raw panic was clear on his face. "Jack! Jack, what should we do? It's almost upon us!"

"Be calm!" Tia Dalma said loudly so everyone may here her. "This creature be mine and it mean you no harm!"

Then the creature was alongside the _Pearl_ and it stuck its long neck over the rail, its neck curved in a smooth arch. Lowering its head, it purred in pleasure as Tia Dalma stroked its pointed snout.

"That be a sea serpent." Jack stated, relieved that it was not a kraken. He had no issues with sea serpents as he had never actually seen one before. He had heard of them, yes. Every sailor had heard of sea serpents just as they had heard of mermaids.

"It be yours, Jack Sparrow. It will pull you where ye wish to go." The goddess informed him with a grin. "When ye get de map back, ye know where to find me."

Then Tia Dalma turned into hundreds of white crabs, the crabs falling to the deck and scrambling over the edge and into the sea.

The Pirate Lord was left with a sea serpent gazing at him with curiosity. He stared back at it for a moment. He had a funny feeling in his gut and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Still, a dry ocean bed he liked even less. "Mr. Gibbs, bring me a long rope! We need to tie this beast to the _Pearl_."

"Aye, Captain!" Mr. Gibbs was all too glad to run off below, away from the terrifying beast that had shark-like teeth. He was sure it had been eyeing him hungrily.

To be continued…


	13. Unrest

Jack Sparrow 13

Chapter 13: Unrest

"I fear this will bode ill." Elizabeth stated as she eyed the gigantic sea serpent that towered over the deck, water dripping off of its scaly hide. It was staring at Jack who was gazing back at it with dark kohl-rimmed eyes. "The crew won't take it well. They're not used to the supernatural."

"I'm not sure I likes it either…" Ragetti said fearfully as he kept a close eye on the beast, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He knew the sword would do little but it made him feel a tad bit better to be ready.

"That thing could pull us under." Pintel added with a frown. He tore his slightly yellowish eyes off of the beast to look at Elizabeth. "But we don't need them, the crew I mean. We can sail the _Black Pearl_ with seven people and we have more than that amongst us already…"

"Sail?" Alan asked wide eyed and with surprise in his voice. "We don't know how to sail a ship…"

"The crew will take one look at that thing and it'll be mutiny." Pintel said as he leaned closer to the two reapers. "Mark my words; they'll be stealing the longboats before long…"

"In the middle of the night I wager…" Ragetti added.

"Unless Jack puts his foot down and stops it." Elizabeth grimaced at the idea of the crew fleeing in the middle of the night, but it was a thing all too easy to believe. But she knew Jack had been ousted before but that had been by Barbossa. The deck crew was mostly followers but there could be a leader amongst them. That and they were pirates.

"But where would they go?" Alan asked as he thought of the endless open water.

"Tortuga." Pintel replied. "You see how the sun is getting hot? We're close now and they know it. Soon the water will be changing colors. If I was one of them, I'd chance a few days at sea in a longboat to get away from that beast…but I'm not them. I'm loyal to Captain Jack!"

"Ever loyal to Captain Jack!" Ragetti cried with fervor.

"What's going on here?" Ciel asked as he approached the group, William and Ronald following him. The blonde eyed the huge snake-like creature hanging over the deck uneasily and kept as close to William as he could. William's expression was sour as ever but his gripped his death scythe a tad more tightly than normal.

"We fear the crew is going to mutiny due to the sea serpent." Elizabeth explained to the small demon.

"Sebastian." Ciel called to his ever loyal butler. The young Earl stood with one hand on his hip as he favored doing, his walking stick with the skull held in the other.

"Yes, My Lord?" Sebastian was already there as he had been ordered to protect Madame Red but so far that had proven to be unnecessary as the creature was not attacking.

"Can you conceal the sea serpent with magic so the crew will not see it? As they had all ran below deck when the white crabs started to fall, I think none of them have seen it yet."

"Yes, I can use an illusion to hide it once it is tied to the ship." Sebastian smiled at the simple solution to the problem. He had created many illusions in the past for various reasons. Some were just to delight himself on a bit of whimsy as when he had made a very young Ciel and his family appear in the mansion, dog and all. With a wave of his hand they had vanished. Others had meant to terrify as when the 'businessman' had visited to scam money out of Ciel. The man had seen the eyes of the dead watching him and had fallen down the stairs to break a leg. This last thought curled the corners of the demon's lips. It was in a demon's nature to enjoy the misfortune of others.

"Do so. We cannot have a mutiny delay our mission." Ciel was greatly relieved that the creature had not been a threat, but other issues weighed on his mind now. "We must talk to Captain Sparrow later once the ship is underway. It appears he has kept information from us."

"He's been keeping secrets from all of us apparently." Eric complained with a dark expression. "That cave with the coins is underwater!"

"Jack does tend to keep things to himself but he always comes through in the end." Elizabeth reassured them.

Mr. Gibbs appeared then with a stout coil of rope in his arms. He hesitated in the doorway, uncertainty plastered all over his face. That drat sea serpent was still there and he was loath to go out there near it. He swallowed the unpleasant lump in his throat and steeled his courage; he would need it now just like on many other terrifying days of serving with Jack. The fact that Jack still stood there in one piece gave him faint hope that the beast truly meant them no ill. Bravely he hurried forward and held the rope out to the captain.

"Well, don't just stand there! Tie a loop to go around the beast!" Jack huffed at him, annoyed that he had to spell it out.

"Aye, Captain!" Mr. Gibbs set about to tying the proper knots; knots that would not tighten to choke the animal. Any decent sailor knew many types of knots and Mr. Gibbs was not any different. Once the coil of rope was ready, he stood there nervously as he eyed the snake-like face.

"Put it on the sea serpent, Mr. Gibbs." Jack ordered.

"Captain, I really don't think…" Mr. Gibbs hesitated as fear filled his eyes. He really didn't want to get that close to it.

Jack frowned as his loyal first mate. "First ye burn me magical map and now yer refusing an order?"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say refusing, Captain, it's just that the beastie has many sharp teeth in its mouth and it be looking rather hungry…" Truth be told, Mr. Gibbs had no idea if it was hungry or not, but he was rather attached to his limbs, especially his arms and head.

"And how exactly do you know it's hungry?" Jack demanded to know.

"I… well, I…" Mr. Gibbs stalled. "The truth be told, Captain, I don't know the beastie as well as you do…"

"Know it? I don't know this sea serpent at all! I just met it!" Jack exclaimed loudly but it was clear that he too didn't want to put the coil of rope about it.

"What are you two doing?" Ciel asked from where he stood near the side rail with the others. It was rapidly becoming clear that the two were just as bad as Scotland Yard when it came to getting things done.

Unfortunately, Jack and Mr. Gibbs had not heard him as they were too busy arguing over the sea serpent.

"Calypso gave it to you, Captain. I wouldn't want to get between you and the goddess…" Mr. Gibbs was quick to add to his defense as he tried to shove the coil of rope into Jack's arms.

"I said what are you two doing over there?" Ciel voice grew louder, his exposed eye glowing demon red.

"What?" Jack turned at the voice, his dark kohl-rimmed eyes falling on the group of other people standing there watching him. His eyes shifted about as his mind clicked rapidly, the coil of rope in his arms. Eagerly he hurried towards them. "I say we have the Pirate King do it!"

"Aye!" Mr. Gibbs shouted happily.

"What?" Elizabeth cried as the rough rope was shoved into her arms without warning. Then Jack dashed behind her, shoving her forward towards the sea serpent. She tried to dig her heels into the deck but then risked falling on her face and so she went forward. She turned to regard Jack and Mr. Gibbs, the hefty first mate having been quick to go hide behind the captain's back. "You cowards!"

"Pirate." Jack replied with a steady gaze. "Now if you will please do the honors, Miss Swann…"

Elizabeth sighed but steadily walked forward. She stopped before the sea serpent and studied it for a moment. It gazed back at her with large black eyes that reminded her of smooth pearls. When it made no threatening moves, she reached up and pushed the coil of rope over its head and down around its neck. Turning, she grabbed the free end of the rope and walked back to Jack with it.

"And that is why I voted her King!" Jack declared as he accepted the bit of rope and then handed it to Mr. Gibbs. "Go tie it to the bow."

Mr. Gibbs was all too happy to run off.

"You're just a coward." Elizabeth told him sadly.

"I am not! The last one ate me!" Jack reminded her but then he recalled she had had her hand in that too. "Besides, it is just the oldest and noblest of pirate traditions…"

"Dare I even ask what that is?" Spears asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Running away to live another day!" Jack happily replied with a grin of golden teeth.

"When we get back to London, Mr. Sparrow, you are going to clean up your act and be a proper grim reaper. You will follow the rules and collect souls of the dying. Is that clear?" William T. Spears waited for a reply, fearing what it would be but he waited just the same.

"Just as long as we're clear on one thing, mate." Jack said as he waved one of the silver chalices in Spears' direction, the priceless cup just inches from the grim man's face. "I will follow yer rules and all but I refuse to take a life. Savvy?"

"Are you saying you're a grim reaper that refuses to collect souls?" In all of his hundred years, William had never run into such a case before and now he was clearly confused. "Collecting souls is the heart of our job."

"I'm not a murderer." Jack replied as he waved one of the cups upwards towards the sky high overhead. "That's a mark against You Know Who and I'd rather not…"

Spears sighed heavily. "We are not murderers. We collect souls of those already dying or those that are dead."

"That's splitting hairs, mate."

Sebastian snickered behind Spears' back, a white gloved hand over his mouth. It seemed as if nothing was going right for the dour supervisor on this trip. It was very entertaining.

"We are divine beings, not murderers." Spears tried to explain. "I see I have much work to do on you during this journey. Your lack of personal hygiene is just the tip of the problems…"

Jack sniffed at his sleeve. "I don't smell anything…and there's nothing divine about sticking some bloody weapon into some poor sap's body. I have standards, high standards!"

"Your nose is used to the stench!" Spears accused as he glared darkly at the pirate. He hadn't thought that a pirate would have such issues or was it just an excuse to get out of doing the work? He noted that Jack seemed to lounge about in his cabin a lot, relaxing no doubt.

Mr. Gibbs returned then. "The beastie is secured to the ship as ordered, Captain!"

"Very good, Mr. Gibbs." Jack sauntered forward up to the sea serpent, pondering on how he was to communicate with the creature. Did it know English? How had Davey Jones communicated with the kraken anyway? He waved an arm at it, the silver chalice flashing in the bright sunlight. "Start pulling us!"

To his delight, the creature slid back off the ship and soon after that it was out in front and pulling. The elder demon cast his spell then and the beast vanished from sight, the illusion of sea and sky taking hold. Those that knew of it could see through the illusion but others would not and the ship would be safe from frightened crew.

Jack started to saunter off towards his cabin, the enchanted chalices in his hands. He could feel a gentle breeze against his skin and a grin spread across his face. His ship was moving once again and he knew Mr. Gibbs would order the crew back to work. He needed to go look at the ship's roster. For some reason Calypso's words were preying on his mind and he didn't like it.

"Captain, wait!" Ciel cried as he hurried after the famous pirate. The boy ran across the deck with ease, as becoming a demon had erased his frailties. "About the Fountain!"

Almost everyone ran after Jack then, each with their own pressing questions about his recent dishonesty. They piled into his cabin after the dreadlocked pirate and crowded around the front of his table. Charts were spread out on the wooden surface, the rare Sao Feng map having a prominent place on the top. Jack ignored them for the moment as he went to where he kept the ship's roster and grabbed it. Unrolling the parchment, he studied it with a critical eye while being totally silent. He balanced easily as the ship rock gently to the sea beast's movements.

"Captain Sparrow…" Ciel called in his regal but firm voice.

"Hmmm…?" Jack turned to regard the young boy turned demon.

"Is the Fountain of Youth broken?" Ciel demanded to know once he saw the pirate was looking at him. Sebastian was standing right behind him and his aunt next to his side.

"Maybe a tad bit…" Jack admitted with a careless shrug as he turned his dark eyes back to the roster, frowning. He wasn't sure he liked what he saw there and unanswered questions rolled about his mind.

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Ciel asked.

"You didn't ask." The pirate replied without looking at him. "Besides, being a demon I assumed you didn't want to use it anyway…"

Spears rolled his eyes. "Must we ask you everything to get a straight answer?"

"I like keeping things to meself. Last time I was generous with information my first mate Barbossa led a mutiny against me. I was left on an island with my sword and a pistol with a single shot. Information is valuable and I'm not handed it out free. Besides, you need a bloody mermaid to use the Fountain and I'm not catching one of those."

"A mermaid?" Ciel gasped in surprise. He had heard the captain mention mermaids before but he didn't realize that using the Fountain required one.

"Aye, a mermaid. They'll happily eat the meat from yer bones. And without a mermaid the Fountain is useless." Jack moved over to his table and sat down in the chair, the roster still in his hands. His eyes flickered from it to the crowd gathered before his desk. They were all there; the demons, the reapers, that female doctor that was related to the young lord and Elizabeth.

"Sebastian can repair it." Ciel said with confidence.

"It should be a simple matter." The demon butler agreed. "I have heard stories of the Fountain from various humans but those were little more than rumors. What exactly does it do?"

"It makes you immortal, doesn't it?" Ronald guessed. The blonde reaper was in a bright mood now that the ship was once again moving.

"Nay, it doesn't make you immortal." Jack said glumly as he set the two silver chalices on the table before them. "You need two people to use the Fountain. One is the victim, the sacrifice if ye will. Ye put water from the Fountain in these cups, add the mermaid's tear to one cup and then ye drink. Whoever drinks the water with the tear gets all of the years of life of the other person. So if the victim is young, say twenty and was scheduled to live until seventy, then the victor just gained fifty years of life."

"And you know this for fact?" Sebastian inquired, interested.

"Aye. I saw the Fountain in use. It wasn't a pretty sight." Jack thought of how the swirling water had torn the flesh off of Blackbeard, the water running red for a time. He had been glad that he could help save Angelica, but now his good deed had come back to bite him. She was still clearly angry over her father's death and was hexing him. Blackbeard had been pure evil and had deserved to die, but Angelica didn't see it that way. She had been blind to his evil ways or had been willing to overlook it. There was no possibility to save him. The pirate had shown no remorse and had enjoyed torturing in the most heinous ways.

"I heard the cave with the Aztec coins is under water." Eric placed his hands on the table and leaned forward to glare angrily at Jack. "Is that true?"

"Isla de Muerta is under water, aye. The sea reclaimed it along with the treasure. You can thank Davey Jones for that. He was hunting pirates and enjoyed separating us from the treasure." Jack admitted as he raised a hand into the air to ward off the blonde's hot glare. "But no worries mate. A yardarm, some rope and the capstan can pull it right up…"

Jack was pretty sure that might work, maybe…

The chest was made of carved stone and heavy as can be. There might be suction to deal with as well, the chest being 'glued' to the spot where it was sitting.

"If you're lying…" Eric threatened.

"I swear on pain of death…" Jack replied with a wide grin of golden teeth.

"You're immortal." The blonde reminded him as he straightened again. Threats didn't seem to faze the pirate any or not that he could see anyway. The only thing that seemed to breathe fear into Jack was the kraken.

"Jack will come through. I have confidence in him." Elizabeth said as she placed a comforting hand on Eric's shoulder to calm him. "You plan things out in advance, don't you, Jack?"

"Of course I do. And sometimes I improvise." Jack wished he could predict everything but he couldn't. He laid the roster down on top of the charts, the paper facing the crowd before him. "I see ye have all joined me crew, every one of ye."

"What?" Ciel snatched the scroll and soon found his name near the very bottom. It looked like his signature but he knew it wasn't. "Who put my name on here?"

"Calypso." Jack replied with a grimace. "Ye have a problem mate and one I don't particularly like."

Of course, he wouldn't mind having the demons serving him as they were mighty useful indeed but he wasn't about to admit that to them. No, it was his little secret.

Ciel also found Sebastian's name as well as Madame Red's. Silently he handed the paper over to Spears who studied it.

Spears quickly found his name as well as the names of all of his reapers including the new recruits. After adjusting his glasses, he shifted his gaze onto Jack. "What exactly do you think this means, Mr. Sparrow? I'm afraid I know nothing of Calypso and do not understand how she knew my name."

"She's a goddess, mate, she knows everything and everyone. She brought Barbossa back from the dead after he died. She knew Will Turner was going to become captain of the _Dutchman_ long before it happened. She can see things and predict the future." Jack picked up an open bottle of rum and upended it, drinking. He gurgled loudly as the burning liquid went down his gullet."But it just means we get a share of the treasure, right?" Ronald said as he looked at Jack somewhat uncertainly, a nervous feeling growing in his gut.

"That's what it meant before Calypso got involved…" Jack muttered as he lowered the now empty bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. "She's unpredictable, mate. Her mood changes like the sea."

"The gods are nothing but trouble." Sebastian stated as he had earlier. "Still I do not see what our names on a piece of paper have to do with anything…"

Elizabeth's mind was busy with thoughts and old memories. Things started to fall in place and she wasn't sure if she liked it either. But still, it was just a crazy thought and couldn't possibly be true, could it? Her grip on Eric's shoulder tightened as she leaned against him to better see Jack. "Does this have to do with the _Dutchman_?"

"What do all of you know of the _Flying Dutchman_?" Jack asked as his dark eyes swept from person to person.

"I read the files. It's a ship of grim reapers that collects the souls lost out at sea." William T. Spears replied as he steadily stared at the dreadlocked pirate. "I do not see what that has to do with the roster or why my name is on it."

"Calypso said that we would all serve her…" Elizabeth stated as she recalled the goddess's words.

"But surely she doesn't have any authority over us!" Ciel exclaimed with outrage. "We're demons…"

"That doesn't mean anything. I know for a fact she used demons in the past." Jack thought of the long years he had been close to the goddess. They had been nigh inseparable. He had enjoyed it at the time but now he knew to be more wary. "Davey Jones used to ask people he had caught dying out at sea 'will ye serve' and if they answered in the positive, they joined his immortal crew to serve one hundred years…"

"I didn't agree to serve on this ship for a hundred years!" Ciel pointed out as shock rolled through him. He had known Sebastian had said that gods loved to mettle in people's lives but he had never expected anything like this!

"But you came on board willingly. Calypso apparently took that as consent." Jack secretly loved the idea of sailing the seas forever. It was what he had always wanted really and getting the coins to save Alan had been the perfect excuse to get back out to sea again. It had worked like a charm, too. The trip to the Fountain just extended his sea journey and perhaps other things would come along to delay them, too. If he was very clever, he knew he could really stretch the trip out for a very long length of time. There were never any certainties when one took to the sea and he could use that to his advantage. He loved the Caribbean and loathed the idea of going back to dreary old London Town. But he feared Calypso had just tossed a monkey wrench into his clever scheme. Still, it wasn't all bad, not from his viewpoint that is.

"You do not know this for a certainty." Sebastian pointed out as his clever mind thought of the issue. "Your guess is nothing but wild speculation."

"There's that backlog in the Locker." Jack reminded them. "I was there. I saw it. There's no way Will can handle all of that by himself. The lad is a hard worker but there's decades worth of backlog to get through."

And that was the bad side of it. He disliked work and collecting all of those souls seemed like work to him. He preferred to go pirating. And the very idea of spending a hundred years with that sour cur yapping at him like a mongrel was enough to drive him mad if he weren't mad already.

"The very idea of having vermin bound to a ship that is charged with collecting souls is idiocy!" William T. Spears glared at the two demons. It was bad enough they had to share a room on the ship temporarily and now they may be roommates for years upon years? Back in London he had had his own apartment and a real office! "How do you expect us to live like this? You have us crammed into a room like animals. We have no privacy and worst there are females sharing the room."

"We are not vermin!" Ciel glared at Spears with detest. "I resent that you keep calling us that term. And we're not thieves. Sebastian only eats the souls he has gained through a contract. We have more honor and manners than you do."

"People who can't stand close quarters with others, prudes if ye will, don't go to sea. Ye'll get used to it. And the crew is like a family. And I don't dare put the women below decks with the common crew." If he did, Jack knew it wouldn't be pretty. Elizabeth had made it through unscathed but then she had that rare ability on her side. Any man that kissed her ended up dead. Pintel, Ragetti and Mr. Gibbs had looked after her, too. With their fierce protection and the captain's friendship the other pirates didn't dare try anything.

William sighed and thought of their first night on the _Black Pearl_. It had been a great shock to learn they had to share a room with the demons but then they found out women were in it as well! The two groups had stared uncertainly at each other, each feeling uneasy with the situation. The women being there just made it awkward. He realized that Grell was married to the older demon but he still worried that sharing such close quarters with the foul creatures would influence his employees. Some were still young and very easy to sway, like Ronald and Alan. If the demons spoke nicely to them, he feared they would be taken in by the glib lies. And if that happened, what would he do? But Jack was right about one thing. "I do agree the women must be protected…but it is awkward to say the least."

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest." Elizabeth reassured him. She was used to living on ships and the _Black Pearl_ was like her second home. Besides she felt they needed an experienced person to room with them anyway.

William adjusted his glasses. She was like her mother in more than one way clearly. Grell was a man who believed he was a woman and his daughter clearly thought of herself as a man. It was a bizarre mixed up situation to say the least. "It is not proper."

"If you think I'm going to do embroidery and wear a corset…! I can do everything a man can do!" Elizabeth glared at him, daring him to say anything. "And I assure you my honor is intact just fine."

At the mention of women's' undergarments many of the reaper males present blushed shamefully and cast their eyes downward – all except for Grell who fancied wearing them himself. It didn't bother the two demons either, although the word brought up a few bad memories for Ciel. For strange reasons, Sebastian seemed to enjoy forcing that dress and corset on him. Now that he was a demon, he thought he understood it better. Making others uncomfortable was fun for demons and it was one of the best ways Sebastian had of 'playing' with him, the older demon enjoying to see him squirm awkwardly while in the frilly, too-pink dress.

"Trust me, no man would dare try to kiss Lizzy. It's a death sentence!" Jack declared loudly for all to hear. Death scythe or no death scythe, he still believed that very firmly. And as he said before, once was more than enough!

Spears nervously cleared his throat. "That is hardly a proper thing to discuss in polite society. One should not bring up women's under things in mixed company."

"Half of us here are female!" Grell loudly cried as he clung to Sebastian's arm.

Jack stabbed the air with a finger as he counted the number of people present and then looked somewhat confused. There was an even number of people present but unless some of the men were actually women – which in the pirate's eyes were very possible – then the redhead's numbers were off.

"Don't be calling me a girl!" Ciel just knew Grell had included him in the list of females. Would the redhead never forget about that day at Viscount Druitt's party and the dress?

"Oh, but I've always wanted a niece!" Madame Red gushed as she hugged her nephew happily. "And you make such a pretty girl!"

"This isn't some pleasure cruise, Madame." Ciel told his aunt as he broke free of her hug, his voice serious. "Your name is on the ship's roster as well. Would you want to get stuck on this ship for a hundred years?"

But Madame Red dismissed his worries with a wave of her hand. "It's just some silly bit of paper. Are you saying some bit of paper can control our lives?"

Ciel didn't want to think his aunt wouldn't live that long. It was a fact that he had been trying to ignore these last few years. The reapers were immortal, he was immortal now and so was Sebastian, but his aunt was still just a mortal. He didn't want to lose her someday, but he didn't know what to do about it, either. One didn't just become immortal. It had only happened to him because of an accident. His gaze shifted onto Jack who seemed to be gazing at the roster with some strange look in his dark eyes. "Captain Sparrow, what happened to the men who did join Davey Jones' crew? Did they become immortal?"

"As far as I know they did." Jack picked up the roster, biting his bottom lip slightly. Holding it between his two hands, he started to experiment with it. First he tried to tear the far bottom corner. When that didn't work, he grabbed it more firmly and tried to tear it in half. As he did this, his eyes bugged out and weird expressions appeared but the scroll refused to cooperate with his desires. "Darn thing is tear-proof! Where's that lantern?"

Jack leaped up and fetched the lantern that dangled from the ceiling.

"Now what are you doing?" Ciel asked perplexed.

"Yes, what are you doing Mr. Sparrow?" Spears echoed as he watched the pirate's strange actions.

"Fixing things…" Jack rolled the roster up and then opened the lantern. Sticking the rolled scroll within, he waited with held breath to see if it would burn. But alas, it refused. Defeated, he pulled the paper back out and tossed it with disgust back onto his desk and slumped into his chair. "The rum will run out, there will be no wenches and only going onto land once in ten long years…unless those rules only applied to Jones and not me! Calypso did say I have to go to the Fountain and that is on land…why are these things never clear?"

"Jack is just a tad insane." Elizabeth reminded them. "It's why he's so brilliant."

"I did not expect such a problem…" Sebastian stated as he picked up the roster and studied it with his demon powers. Magic was embedded in the parchment, the energy signature matching the heathen goddess that had visited. It was similar to a contract, but one he had not willingly agreed to – although he had agreed to go to the Fountain. "I suspect she just wishes me to fix the Fountain, although why she doesn't do that herself is a mystery. I'm sure she is capable of it."

"The Fountain is a dark place if you ask me. Anything that rips the flesh off of a man's bones is not a sacred location of the light but belonging to the dark." Jack muttered.

Ronald gasped, his mouth dropping open. "Is that what it does?"

"Aye, I saw it with my own eyes." Jack recalled standing there as the rushing waters of the Fountain of Youth ripped past his legs to attack Blackbeard. He had watched the whole dark affair numbly. He had seen many horrible deaths in his life but that had to be near the top for insane and unique ways to die.

William pulled his little black book out of his jacket pocket and opened it. He figured if it were true, if Calypso had the power to command him, then surely there should be names in his To Die List? And to his surprise, he did see names and the weird numbers that they had seen before. He frowned, thinking. Why there were names in his book now but before there had been none he did not know, but a suspicion grew in his mind. Did it have to do with the ship's roster? He recalled Jack's open offer of earlier to join the crew. Had some of his reapers taken up the captain's offer? "Knox, Slingby, Humphries, did you sign the ship's roster on your own?"

Ronald laughed nervously while looking very guilty, his hands tucked behind his back. He backed up a bit, his feet shifting about. "Who me…?"

"You look as guilty as the cat that ate the canary." Jack informed the young reaper sadly. He would be a very poor pirate, as his face was as open as a book.

"William-san, I…" Alan's words trailed off, the hard-working reaper unsure how to explain it. And Eric just stood next to Alan with his usual expression.

"Awww, come on, we just wanted a bit of gold!" Ronald explained. "I have a bar tab to pay and pretty girls to date back in London! What does it matter anyway? We're already on this ship! I didn't think you'd mind."

"You mean you thought he wouldn't find out." Jack corrected for the young blonde with bicolor hair.

"I am just trying to ascertain how the To Die Lists work on this ship. Once you sign the roster or your name is added, it seems you start to get assignments. As Supervisor, it is my job to oversee and understand these things. Now pull out your books and check for assignments."

The reapers pulled out their books and soon saw they all had assignments. And like before there were strange numbers behind the names. The locations were showed to Jack and the Pirate Lord ran his finger across the map to the desired location.

"So many names!" Ronald gushed as he flipped through page after page of souls assigned to him. "Where is this place anyway?"

"It's where we're going, Isla de Muerta." Jack explained to the others. "It's a very dangerous passage with countless sunken ships, the ships' hulls torn open on sharp rocks. Once we get there, you can see the battered rotten hulks just below the surface and hammerheads everywhere."

"What a joyful place." Eric stated sarcastically.

"They're after the gold, mate, or I suspect some of them were; others were just careless or unlucky." Jack explained as he thought of the treacherous passage they'd have to pass through. He realized someone would have to swim down into the water with ropes and truthfully he was unsure of how that could work. He needed to come up with a better plan but what? How had Jones made the sea cover the cave and if he were truly like Jones now, could he reverse it somehow? Right then and there, Jack decided he needed to practice doing Jones-type things and harness his new abilities. That annoying cur Spears meant well but he didn't know half the things Jones could do, did he?

If Jones had been the sea, he would be the sea as well. A slight grin appeared on Jack's face then as he quite fancied the idea. The immortal Captain Jack Sparrow, Lord of the Caribbean!

TBC…

Note: According to the Pirates Wiki, Calypso had used demons in the past although there are no details listed.

My muse also was silent for awhile but listening to the soundtrack from Dead Man's Chest helped a lot and got is flowing again. The wonderful, lively instrumental scores from POTC is very inspiring. Writing this chapter was a lot of fun and I think I'll start on the next one now. Hopefully bits were funny as well.


End file.
